New Delhi: Exasperation over the current Government-Opposition standoff reflected in Speaker Somnath Chatterjee's conduct of the business in Lok Sabha today (Aug 26, 2004) when Ministers, including Railway Minister Laloo Prasad, came in for admonition.

"Don't take the House for granted. Don't take the House lightly," he told the Railway Minister when the Minister of State for Railways R Velu got up to table the papers listed against Laloo's name.

Laloo did not get the import of Chatterjee's remark and Finance Minister P Chidambaram sitting by his side and some others asked him to do as directed by the Speaker.

"I lay the table," Laloo fumbled.

Again Chidambaram came to his rescue. With some efforts, Laloo said "papers against my name I lay the table."

The Speaker then called Minister of State for Finance S S Palanimanickam only to find that MOS Parliamentary Affairs B K Handique was doing it on his behalf.

Again the Speaker was unhappy saying he would not allow such a thing. He later called Ministers Santosh Mohan Dev and Taslimuddin who were absent.

But later when they came to present the papers, Chatterjee bluntly told them to express at least regrets for not having been present when they were called. "I expect Ministers who were called and who were not present to say sorry about their absence."