Indian president slams lawmakers for disrupting parliament

Indian President Pranab Mukherjee Thursday came down heavily on lawmakers over the continued logjam in the Parliament since the beginning of winter session.

Losing his cool, Mukherjee asked parliamentarians cutting across party lines not to disrupt proceedings and get back to work.

"For God's sake, please do your job. The Parliament is to transact business. Disruption of the Parliament is not at all acceptable," he said in the national capital.

In fact, both ruling and opposition lawmakers have been disrupting proceedings in both houses of Parliament -- the Upper House and the Lower House -- by squabbling over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's demonetisation move.

Several sessions of the Parliament have been washed away since the winter session began on Nov. 16, including Thursday's, due to the squabbling and opposition's protests.

But the president made it clear: "Protests can take place outside the Parliament not inside."

Modi had on Nov. 8 scrapped currency notes of higher denominations and sought 50 days to ease the cash situation. Endit