Government deliberately disrupting Rajya Sabha: Jaitley

New Delhi, Dec 5 (IANS) The government and the parties that support it were intentionally disrupting the Rajya Sabha as it lacked the numbers for a vote on the issue of foreign investment in retail, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Arun Jaitley said Wednesday.

"Since the very first day, the government doesn't seem to be serious about conduct of business, specially in Rajya Sabha," the leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha told reporters after the house was adjourned for the day.

The opposition, he said, doubted if the ruling party and its supporters would allow the debate on foreign direct investment (FDI) to take place Thursday as scheduled.

"I have the suspicion that the government is unsure which way the Rajya Sabha will vote, so it is not letting the house function. We doubt they will allow the debate on FDI tomorrow (Thursday)," he said.

He said a complaint has been made to the chair of the upper house and an explanation sought from Leader of the House, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

"The government is deliberately trying to create an atmosphere that the house cannot function. Even when Lok Sabha is functioning normally, Rajya Sabha is being stalled. The whole nation is watching, not a single opposition member has trooped in the well of the house, it is government members and supporting parties that are stalling the house," he said.

The Rajya Sabha was adjourned Wednesday first due to the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), which took up the issue of a memorial for B.R. Ambedkar in Mumbai. At noon, after BSP members were pacified, it was the turn of Samajwadi Party (SP) members to gather near the chairman's podium, shouting slogans against reservations in promotions.

Both parties prop the UPA government from outside.

The debate on FDI in retail is scheduled to start in the upper house Thursday

This was expected.