After Chidambaram, opposition now guns for Krishna

New Delhi: Worries multiplied for an embattled United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government Friday with the opposition gunning for another top minister - External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna - now clouded by corruption charges.

The two houses of parliament were adjourned Friday afternoon for the weekend without any significant business following noisy demands by opposition members for the ouster of Krishna after he was named in an illegal mining case in Karnataka.

This comes a day after the opposition led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) pressed for the resignation of Home Minister P. Chidambaram for his alleged role in the 2G spectrum scam.

Opposition MPs in both the houses shouted slogans as soon as the members settled down after mourning the loss of scores of lives in a Kolkata hospital fire.

Protesting BJP members demanded resignation of Krishna who is under the Lokayukta police scanner for his alleged role in allowing illegal mining in Karnataka when he was the state's chief minister 1999-2004.

Both houses saw repeated disruptions over the issue before they were shut down to meet again on Monday.

In the Lok Sabha, Ananth Kumar of the BJP supported by his party colleagues was heard shouting slogans "S.M. Krishna isteefa dou" (S.M. Krishna, give the resignation).

As BJP members demanded action against Krishna, MPs from Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh also raised slogans for a separate state to be carved out from the southern state.

The noisy protests continued for some time even as Speaker Meira Kumar called for the crucial Question Hour.

She adjourned the house till 12 noon when the din grew louder and protesting MPs refused to resume their seats.

The lower house saw some papers being tabled when the house resumed at noon. It was followed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's reply to Thursday's debate on rising prices.

However, Mukherjee's spirited defence of the government over India's rising inflation did not cut ice with the opposition and the BJP and Left members staged a walkout.

They returned after a while to resume anti-Krishna protests. Amid noisy scenes, the protesting MPs trooped near the speaker's podium forcing her to adjourn the house for the day.

Similar scenes were witnessed in the Rajya Sabha. "Have shame! S.M. Krishna," BJP members shouted in the upper house, creating a ruckus and forcing two disruptions before the sitting was adjourned for the day at 2.30 p.m.

The two houses were Thursday rocked by anti-Chidambaram protests triggered by a special court order allowing Janata Party chief Subramanian Swamy to depose on his plea that the home minister be questioned in connection with the 2G case.

Friday was the 12th day of the 21-day winter session. Parliament has already lost the first nine days of the session to opposition protests over various issues, including the government's controversial decision to allow foreign equity in multi-brand retail trade. The decision was suspended, paving the way for parliament to resume Wednesday.

 

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The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh and the Emeritus Senior Minister, Mr. Goh Chok Tong, unveiled the bust and the Marker of Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, at Asian Civilizations Museum, in Singapore on November 20, 2011.

(Photo: M. Asokan )