New Delhi, August 2
The reported allotment of petrol stations to ruling coalition functionaries and Sangh Parivar leaders today rocked Parliament with the Opposition vociferously demanding resignation of Petroleum Minister Ram Naik and probes by CBI and a parliamentary committee.
The Rajya Sabha, which re-assembled after a two-hour adjournment on the issue, was adjourned for the day by Vice-Chairman Santosh Bagrodia with angry Opposition members sticking to their demands.
As soon as the House was convened for the post-lunch session, Mr Suresh Pachauri (Congress) demanded a statement from Mr Naik while his party colleagues shouted “loot liya, loot liya (robbed, robbed)”.
When Mr S.S. Ahluwalia (BJP) rushed to the Well of the House demanding that the Chair calm the Opposition members, Mr Raju Parmar (Congress) also moved into the Well. Mr Bagrodia then called it a day.
In the Lok Sabha, agitated Congress, Left Party, RJD and Samajwadi Party members staged a walk-out protesting against the government’s response that the discretionary quota had not been used by the NDA government except in allotting petrol stations to 500 families of Kargil martyrs.
Minister of State for Petroleum Santosh Gangwar assured members that the government would hold an inquiry into the reported allotment of petrol stations to those related to functionaries of the ruling party and its allies and that the guilty would be punished.
Asserting that the Supreme Court had not put a stop on the use of the discretionary quota, Mr Gangwar said it was the Congress regime in 1994-95 that had advertised for the allotment of petrol stations but the interviews for the purpose were held last year and this year. “You can imagine who all would have applied,” he remarked.
Waving copies of a newspaper
which contained the list of the allottees, irate Opposition members led by the Congress stalled question hour in the Lok Sabha for half-an-hour, accusing the government of maintaining silence when charges of corruption and scandalous revelations were made in the House.
A similar scene prevailed in the Rajya Sabha where Opposition members were up on their feet soon after question hour shouting slogans and demanding immediate resignation of Mr Naik.
Soon after question hour the Opposition members in the Upper House were waving the newspaper which had reported a lengthy list of BJP functionaries, particularly in Maharashtra who had been allotted petrol stations.
In the Lok Sabha irate Congress and other Opposition members, who had sought a CBI inquiry, demanded the suspension of question hour to discuss the matter.
Congress Chief Whip in the Lower House Priyaranjan Dasmunsi accused the Vajpayee government of being “dishonest” and ignoring the families of Kargil martyrs and freedom fighters while allotting petrol stations and violating the directive of the Supreme Court.
Question hour remained disrupted for half-an-hour despite Speaker Manohar Joshi’s plea. He observed that question hour could not be suspended as there was no consensus in the House.
Rejecting the charge Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pramod Mahajan said the petrol stations had been allotted in accordance with the prescribed norms.
Mr Mahajan said he was trying to find out whether Naik was in town. If he was available in Delhi, he would come to the House to respond.
Insisting on the ouster of Mr Naik Opposition members, including Mr Dasmunsi, Mr Pawan Kumar Bansal (Congress), Dr Raghuvansh Prasad Singh (RJD), Mr Akhilesh Singh (Samajwadi Party) and Mr Hanan Mollah (CPM) demanded that all documents related to the allotment must be handed over to the CBI for a probe. Till then the orders for allotment should be kept in abeyance, he said.
