Please Don't Ring The Bell: Bhagwant Mann Triggers Mirth In Lok Sabha

Aam Aadmi Party's Bhagwant Mann had the Lok Sabha laughing on Friday as he spoke during the debate on the no-confidence motion against the government. The list of common man's grievances, presented in his inimitable fashion, was long. The lawmaker, who has been a popular stand-up comic, then winded it up with a short poem -- which had the members thumping their desks in appreciation.

"Madam, I just want to ask what are we debating today," Mr Mann said. "Nobody is debating unemployment, nobody is talking about Digital India. Today the debate is on Hindu Muslim... This politics of polarisation is very dangerous".

The 44-year-old AAP lawmaker questioned the rise in petrol and diesel prices and the all-time low of the rupee. "What are the big achievements that you are listing?" questioned Mr Mann.

Then he proceeded to recite a poem, with a special request to Speaker Sumitra Mahajan: "Please don't ring the bell, Madam, I get disturbed".

As Ms Mahajan and the rest of the House burst into laughter, Mr Singh sailed into the poem, which sketched the four-year tenure of PM Modi with humour-coated barbs. Even Union Minister Rajnath Singh was seen smiling.

Earlier this year, PM Modi had poked fun at the Punjab lawmaker's drinking habits.

"As long as you are alive, have fun. Karz karo aur ghee piyo (take loans and have as much ghee or clarified butter as you want). In those times, there were values, they talked about ghee. Bhagwant Mann would ask them to drink something else," he had said during a speech in Parliament this February.

Mr Mann was not amused and threatened to report the Prime Minister for breach of privilege.

Mr Mann quit as the party's Punjab unit chief in March after party chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, struggling with multiple defamation cases, decided to apologise and end the courtroom battles. The lawmaker was particularly indignant when Mr Kejriwal apologised to Akali Dal's Bikram Singh Majithia for calling him "Punjab's drug lord".