Rajya Sabha proceedings on Friday were briefly adjourned for 10 minutes after it was noted that no Cabinet Minister was present in the House.
Soon after the House paid homage to those who valiantly fought terrorists and foiled their attack on Parliament on December 13, 2001, Opposition MPs pointed out that none of the Cabinet ministers were present in the House.
Chairman C P Radhakrishnan said he will take it up with the government and asked a junior minister to request the presence of a Cabinet minister in the House.
"I understand the procedure. I have requested the minister. One of the Cabinet ministers should come," he said.
Opposition MPs, however, were not satisfied. They insisted that the House proceedings be adjourned till a Cabinet minister is present.
"This is an insult to the House. You have to adjourn the House till the Cabinet minister comes," Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said.
After waiting for about five minutes, Radhakrishnan adjourned the proceedings for 10 minutes.
When the House reassembled after the brief adjournment, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju expressed regret for the absence of cabinet ministers from the House.
He said he had to be in the Lok Sabha to mourn the death of former speaker and former home minister Shivraj Patil.
Leader of the House J P Nadda had questions marked in his name in the Lower House, and so he too was away, he said, explaining the absence of ministers. "I regret that a Cabinet Minister was not there," he added.
Congress leader Pramod Tiwari said Patil was also a former member of the Rajya Sabha, and the House should mourn his death as well.
Rijiju said that since the unfortunate death happened a while back, the Secretariat is taking time. "It will be duly condoled in this House also."
Besides Rijiju and Nadda, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was among the ministers present in the House when it reassembled.