New Delhi, Aug 3 (PTI) Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Thursday skipped the House proceedings in the first half to express displeasure over disruptions and returned post-lunch only after several opposition leaders met him and assured him that they would maintain the dignity of the chair.

The Speaker had skipped the House proceedings on Wednesday, upset at the repeated disruptions and disrespect towards the Chair by opposition members, particularly during the passage of bills on Tuesday.

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Birla did not turn up for the Question Hour on Thursday, prompting Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury to make a plea to him to return to the Chair.

Several opposition leaders met Birla in his chamber with an assurance of their cooperation in the conduct of business and upholding the dignity of Lok Sabha.

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The Speaker returned to the Chair in the post-lunch session when the House took up the Delhi Services Bill for consideration and passing.

When BJP leader Rajendra Agarwal assumed the chair during Question Hour, Chowdhury said all the members wanted the Speaker to return.

"When the House convenes, we wish to see the Speaker in the chair. It is our demand that the Speaker return to the chair. The entire House likes the Speaker," he said.

"Sir, please urge the Speaker to return to the chair. Whatever the differences, we will resolve them. The Speaker is our custodian, we will air our views before him whether he likes it or not," the Congress leader said,

Besides Chowdhury, Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi, Trinamool Congress' Saugata Ray, Union minister Nitin Gadkari, NCP leader Supriya Sule, DMK's Kanimozhi, RSP member N K Premachandran also met the Speaker in his chamber and assured him their cooperation in upholding the dignity of the House.

Birla was upset at the repeated disruptions in Lok Sabha on Tuesday when some members tore papers and threw them at the Chair when the House had taken up legislative business.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)