NEWSLINKS US EDITION SOUTH ASIA COLUMNISTS DIARY SPECIALS INTERVIEWS CAPITAL BUZZ REDIFF POLL DEAR REDIFF THE STATES ELECTIONS ARCHIVES SEARCH REDIFF
A united opposition in Parliament on Tuesday kept up the pressure on the Vajpayee government for the third day demanding resignation of Petroleum Minister Ram Naik on the petrol pump allotment issue, forcing adjournment of both Houses for the day amid uproarious scenes.
In a virtual repeat of Monday's turmoil, opposition members in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were on their feet shouting anti-government slogans like 'gali, gali mein shor hai, BJP chor hai (there is noise in every street that BJP is a thief)' and 'we want the resignation (of Ram Naik)'.
Notwithstanding Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's decision to cancel allotments of all petrol pumps, cooking gas and kerosene agencies after January 2000, the opposition pressed their demand for a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into allegations that the beneficiaries were Bharatiya Janata Party functionaries and their close relatives.
Making their intention clear as soon as the Lok Sabha assembled, the Congress and the Samajwadi Party members stormed the well after Speaker Manohar Joshi rejected a notice for suspension of Question Hour moved by Congress Chief Whip Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi.
Ruling benches strongly opposed the attempt by opposition members to stall the Question Hour with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pramod Mahajan making government's stand clear that there was no question of yielding to Dasmunsi's demand.
Amidst pandemonium, treasury benches countered the opposition's sloganeering shouting: "We want Question Hour."
Joshi started the listed business by asking BJP member Kirit Somaiya to put his question to Disinvestment Minister Arun Shourie but as the uproar continued, he adjourned the House for the day barely 10 minutes after it met.
Leader of the Opposition Sonia Gandhi sat through the din and was seen consulted by party leaders.
In Rajya Sabha, as soon as Deputy Chairperson Najma Heptulla began the proceedings, Congress and other opposition members were on their feet demanding Naik's scalp.
The Petroleum Minister was present in the House. While Congress members raised slogans 'gali gali me shor hai, BJP chor hai', the BJP members sought to turn the tables shouting 'bhrashtachari Congress sharam karo sharam karo (corrupt Congress, have shame)' and 'doob maro doob maro' (drown yourself)'.
A Congress member was also seen waving a bunch of papers. Heptulla's repeated appeals to the members to maintain calm went unheeded. Sensing the mood, she adjourned the House for the day within three minutes. The sloganeering and counter-sloganeering continued even after the House was adjourned.
Tell us what you think of this report
