New Delhi: The second day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament again witnessed some stormy scenes, and both the Houses were adjourned till tomorrow.
While the ruckus created by the Opposition over the issue of price rise and corruption led to the adjournment of the Rajya Sabha, the controversy over Kalmadi's appointment as the Chairman of the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee (OC) and the alleged involvement of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) in it added to the government's woes in the Lok Sabha and it too was adjourned for the day.
In the Lok Sabha today, Sports Minister Ajay Maken repeated what the Prime Minister's Office has been claiming - that Mr Kalmadi's appointment was a decision taken by the Atal Bihari Vajapyee government that was in power when India bid for the Games in 2003.
Incorrect, says the BJP. Vikram Verma was Sports Minister in 2003 in Mr Vajpayee's government when it bid for the Games. Mr Verma says the bid documents clearly listed that a government nominee would Chair the OC; the President of the Indian Olympic Association would serve as Vice-President. Mr Maken's statement led to ruckus by the Opposition and the House was adjourned. (Read: How Kalmadi became chairman - Maken explains)
On Monday, the first day of the Monsoon Session, the Opposition had similarly staged a walkout and caused an uproar over the alleged corruption charges that the government is involved in.
The BJP is also seeking a debate on the issue under a rule which entails voting.
Ranging from rising prices to corruption and black money, the BJP is targeting the Prime Minister directly. The Manmohan Singh government is clearly on the backfoot and is definitely having a tough time.
The Left too wants a debate on corruption and price rise. The government says it doesn't have a problem with that, as long as the resolution moved by the Opposition does not refer specifically to a party or an individual.
Before heading into Parliament on Monday, Prime Minister made an appeal that the House should be allowed to function normally and that the government is ready to discuss all the issues, the BJP slammed him saying he hardly has any reply, and that its campaign against corruption will focus on him.
Starting with the telecom scam. The BJP says that the PM "is trying to pass the buck" by suggesting that he was not aware of how India's largest-ever swindle was unfolding in his Telecom Department in 2008. In fact, the BJP charges, the PM micro-managed the telecom policy that resulted in such vertiginous consequences. At the time, A Raja was the Telecom Minister. He is now in jail for distributing valuable mobile network licenses and accompanying second-generation or 2G spectrum at below-market rates to companies who allegedly paid him kickbacks. Mr Raja has been charged with willfully ignoring advice to auction spectrum - which would have earned the government much more revenue. In his defence, Mr Raja has said that he chose simply to follow the policies of his predecessors, including those in the BJP-led NDA regime, which was voted out in 2004, when Dr Singh's government came to power.
Dr Singh and others in the government have said that the first-come-first-serve policy that was sanctioned for use in 2008 was not the problem. Instead, it was Mr Raja's twisted implementation that allowed companies he collaborated with to jump to the head of the queue to grab licenses. But the BJP says that records suggest then Finance Minister P Chidambaram preferred an auction. The Opposition wants to know why he changed his mind.
The 2G scam is being investigated by the CBI and is being closely monitored by the Supreme Court. "The matters in court are best left for court to decide," said the PM this morning.
But the PM, says the Opposition, was not unaware of Mr Raja's intent or actions. It has referred to a noting in a government file which says the Prime Minister's Office is to be kept "at arm's length." This, claims the BJP, shows the PM knew of how Mr Raja was bending the rules.
In a clarification issued on Sunday, the Prime Minister's Office said that the remark is being misinterpreted. Dr Singh simply wanted to share "informal suggestions" with the departments concerned - including the Telecom Ministry and the government's regulatory arm on telecom TRAI. (Read: PMO on 'Arm's length' comment)
The BJP also blamed the PM for "spoiling the atmosphere" of this Parliament session by stating that the Opposition too has "many skeletons in its cupboard." Ms Swaraj and Mr Jaitley described his remark as "unprovoked and ill-advised."
They also said this was the PM's way of "sidetracking the issue" because he is "faced with several questions because of recent disclosures relating to the allotment of 2G spectrum and he does not have replies."
While the ruckus created by the Opposition over the issue of price rise and corruption led to the adjournment of the Rajya Sabha, the controversy over Kalmadi's appointment as the Chairman of the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee (OC) and the alleged involvement of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) in it added to the government's woes in the Lok Sabha and it too was adjourned for the day.
In the Lok Sabha today, Sports Minister Ajay Maken repeated what the Prime Minister's Office has been claiming - that Mr Kalmadi's appointment was a decision taken by the Atal Bihari Vajapyee government that was in power when India bid for the Games in 2003.
Incorrect, says the BJP. Vikram Verma was Sports Minister in 2003 in Mr Vajpayee's government when it bid for the Games. Mr Verma says the bid documents clearly listed that a government nominee would Chair the OC; the President of the Indian Olympic Association would serve as Vice-President. Mr Maken's statement led to ruckus by the Opposition and the House was adjourned. (Read: How Kalmadi became chairman - Maken explains)
The BJP is also seeking a debate on the issue under a rule which entails voting.
Ranging from rising prices to corruption and black money, the BJP is targeting the Prime Minister directly. The Manmohan Singh government is clearly on the backfoot and is definitely having a tough time.
The Left too wants a debate on corruption and price rise. The government says it doesn't have a problem with that, as long as the resolution moved by the Opposition does not refer specifically to a party or an individual.
Before heading into Parliament on Monday, Prime Minister made an appeal that the House should be allowed to function normally and that the government is ready to discuss all the issues, the BJP slammed him saying he hardly has any reply, and that its campaign against corruption will focus on him.
Starting with the telecom scam. The BJP says that the PM "is trying to pass the buck" by suggesting that he was not aware of how India's largest-ever swindle was unfolding in his Telecom Department in 2008. In fact, the BJP charges, the PM micro-managed the telecom policy that resulted in such vertiginous consequences. At the time, A Raja was the Telecom Minister. He is now in jail for distributing valuable mobile network licenses and accompanying second-generation or 2G spectrum at below-market rates to companies who allegedly paid him kickbacks. Mr Raja has been charged with willfully ignoring advice to auction spectrum - which would have earned the government much more revenue. In his defence, Mr Raja has said that he chose simply to follow the policies of his predecessors, including those in the BJP-led NDA regime, which was voted out in 2004, when Dr Singh's government came to power.
Dr Singh and others in the government have said that the first-come-first-serve policy that was sanctioned for use in 2008 was not the problem. Instead, it was Mr Raja's twisted implementation that allowed companies he collaborated with to jump to the head of the queue to grab licenses. But the BJP says that records suggest then Finance Minister P Chidambaram preferred an auction. The Opposition wants to know why he changed his mind.
The 2G scam is being investigated by the CBI and is being closely monitored by the Supreme Court. "The matters in court are best left for court to decide," said the PM this morning.
But the PM, says the Opposition, was not unaware of Mr Raja's intent or actions. It has referred to a noting in a government file which says the Prime Minister's Office is to be kept "at arm's length." This, claims the BJP, shows the PM knew of how Mr Raja was bending the rules.
In a clarification issued on Sunday, the Prime Minister's Office said that the remark is being misinterpreted. Dr Singh simply wanted to share "informal suggestions" with the departments concerned - including the Telecom Ministry and the government's regulatory arm on telecom TRAI. (Read: PMO on 'Arm's length' comment)
The BJP also blamed the PM for "spoiling the atmosphere" of this Parliament session by stating that the Opposition too has "many skeletons in its cupboard." Ms Swaraj and Mr Jaitley described his remark as "unprovoked and ill-advised."
They also said this was the PM's way of "sidetracking the issue" because he is "faced with several questions because of recent disclosures relating to the allotment of 2G spectrum and he does not have replies."
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