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Parliament adjourned for week over 2G spectrum scam, Raja
Thursday November 11, 2010 03:03:34 PM,
IANS
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New Delhi:
The deadlock between the government and opposition over alleged
corruption in 2G spectrum allocation and IT Minister A. Raja
worsened Thursday with both houses of parliament adjourned for the
week without any business being transacted for the second
consecutive day.
BJP and other
opposition MPs threatened not to let parliament function till
Communications and IT Minister Raja, who allegedly sold 2G
spectrum in 2008 at lower prices than the market rates, was
sacked.
The scam is said to have caused a loss of Rs.1.76 lakh crore to
the government.
Thursday was the third day of the over one-month-long winter
session that ends Dec 13 with a scheduled 24 sittings. The session
began Nov 9.
Noisy protests rocked the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha Thursday
morning, a day after both houses were adjourned without any
legislative business being conducted following the opposition
demand for a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) probe into the 2G
spectrum scam. They also raised the issues of corruption in
Mumbai's Adarsh housing society and the Commonwealth Games.
In the Lok Sabha, ruling Congress MPs tried to counter the
protests as some of them demonstrated near Speaker Meira Kumar's
podium against Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader K.S.
Sudarshan's remarks against Sonia Gandhi reported in a Hindi
newspaper.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members walked towards her podium
raising slogans to demand Raja's ouster as soon as Meira Kumar,
after an hour-long adjournment in the morning, resumed the Lok
Sabha sitting at 12 noon.
MPs from the AIADMK, Shiv Sena and the Communist Party of
India-Marxist (CPI-M) joined the protests even as Left members
were seen shouting slogans from their seats.
Congress MPs countered the BJP protests as some of them walked
towards the podium shouting slogans against the RSS.
The din forced the speaker to adjourn the house till Monday
morning as Friday -- being Chhath festival -- is already an off
day for parliament.
Similar scenes rocked the Rajya Sabha, where Congress members
vehemently protested Sudarshan's reported comment. The BJP and
AIADMK members in the Rajya Sabha, on the other hand, demanded the
dismissal of Raja because he has been "indicted" by the CAG
(Comptroller and Auditor General) for his role in the 2G spectrum
allocation.
Chairman Hamid Ansari repeatedly asked members to return to their
seats. His appeals fell on deaf ears and he too adjourned the
house till Monday.
As an adamant opposition refused to let the houses function, the
government ruled out a JPC probe into the controversial 2G
spectrum allotment.
Rejecting the opposition demands, Parliamentary Affairs Minister
Pawan Kumar Bansal said "there is no need for a JPC inquiry" as a
report by the CAG on the issue would be tabled in parliament soon.
The CAG report was submitted to the government Wednesday and is
believed to have indicted Raja.
"The report will become the property of parliament and will be
studied by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of parliament to
recommend any action if needed," Bansal told reporters.
He said the BJP demand for a JPC probe was "uncalled for because
the PAC is headed by none other than their Murli Manohar Joshi".
"They (BJP members) are disrupting the house because they know the
PAC will find no substance to target Raja in the CAG report," he
said, adding that the minister had done nothing wrong.
"He has violated no rules," Bansal said.
The BJP said the opposition "cannot be a mute spectator to the
scams".
"Parliament is a forum where we can make our voices heard and we
have a right to protest. We won't allow the houses to function
till the government acts against Raja," Leader of Opposition in
the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley told reporters.
AIADMK leader V. Maitreyan said he had seen a copy of the CAG
report indicting Raja. "He has no right to continue," Maitreyan
said.
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