Friday, November 25 2005 14:08 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee today rejected Opposition-sponsored adjournment motions on Volcker Committee report, Mitrokhin Archives and former US envoy Daniel Patrick Moynihan's book on alleged payoffs to Congress and its leaders, ruling that these did not relate to the Union Government, nor were they matters of recent occurence.

The notices given by BJP Deputy Leader V K Malhotra, NDA Convenor George Fernandes and five others "do not refer to one specific issue and there does not appear to be any direct responsibility of the government in the matter", Chatterjee said in his ruling.

The House was rocked for the second consecutive day over the Volcker issue with the Opposition unrelenting on its demand for the resignation of UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Union Minister Natwar Singh.

"As the notices relate to more than one matter and even then not very definite, and do not justify adjourning all other business in the House for immediate discussion and further do not relate to a matter for which the Union government is responsible, over and above not being matters of recent occurrence, under the rules, notices are not eligible for admission by the Chair," he observed.