The Volcker report and the demand for Natwar Singh's resignation from the Union Cabinet rocked Lok Sabha Monday leading to its adjournment till tomorrow.
As soon as the House met, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led opposition was on its feet demanding resignation of Natwar Singh and raised slogans, "Ab to yeh spasht hai, Sonia Gandhi Bhrasht hai." (It is clear now that Sonia Gandhi is corrupt).
Speaker Somnath Chatterjee tried in vain to pacify the members saying they could raise the issue during Zero Hour.
He appealed to senior BJP leaders Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Lal Kishenchand Advani to allow the question hour, but as the din continued, he adjourned the House.
Senior Congress leaders, including party president Sonia Gandhi and Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee were present in the House.
The Congress leaders were seen holding consultations with Sonia and BJP members with Advani.
The Rajya Sabha too was adjourned till tomorrow over the same issue.
As soon as the House met, BJP members raised the Volcker issue.
Chairman Bhairon Singh Shekhawat said he was allowing BJP leader Sushma Swaraj to speak on the matter for three minutes and this would be followed by a response from the ruling party.
Swaraj said the fact that Natwar Singh had been removed from the Congress Steering Committee spoke of his role in Iraqi pay-offs.
Swaraj said the prime minister remained a mute spectator on the issue, but spoke about her party in Russia when he said there was no basis in BJP's allegation.
She said it was not proper on the part of the prime minister to say that he did not attach much significance to what BJP says.
"How can he say that? The BJP is the main opposition party," Swaraj said.
She said it was not proper for Dr Singh to have left the country when Parliament was in session and "when there is no South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation or any such kind of meeting".
Congress members objected to Swaraj's observations. In the din, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priya Ranjan Das Munshi said before leaving for Russia, Dr Singh had come to both Houses to make a statement on the Volcker issue.
Shekhawat told BJP members that they were not going by the assurance given to him this morning on ending the stalemate after Sushma Swaraj was allowed to speak for three minutes.
BJP leader Yashwant Sinha said Congress should be blamed for not following the Chair's instructions on Friday to allow opposition leader Jaswant Singh to react to Dr Singh's statement on the Volcker issue.
Swaraj said the issue could have been over had the opposition leader been allowed to speak.
Some BJP members raised slogans against United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi.
