Rashtriya Janata Dal members in the Lok Sabha have demanded the arrest of National Democratic Alliance convenor George Fernandes [Images] for his reported remarks against Congress president Sonia Gandhi [Images].

The RJD members, led by Ramkripal Yadav, waving a newspaper clipping and a compact disc, shouted slogans against him.

Speaker Somnath Chatterjee asked the members to be seated to enable Leader of the Opposition L K Advani to speak on the motion of thanks to the President's address. When the RJD members did not relent, Chatterjee adjourned the House for ten minutes.

"It is unfortunate that the members of the ruling side are trying to stall proceedings," Chatterjee said.

After the House re-assembled, Chatterjee sought everyone's cooperation to enable the House to function smoothly. If the members wanted to raise issues, they should give proper notices and the chair would consider them, he added.

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In the Rajya Sabha, RJD member Kum Kum Rai sought to raise the issue but the chair disallowed it, saying proper notice had be given to take up the matter.

This sparked noisy protests from Congress members, who said the matter was serious and the chair should allow it to be discussed.