Raja out, but parliament standoff on 2G continues

NEW DELHI - The standoff between opposition and treasury benches continued in parliament Monday amid demands for a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) probe into alleged corruption in the 2G spectrum scam that forced DMK leader A. Raja to quit as communications and IT minister.

Both houses of parliament were adjourned till Tuesday after MPs reassembled following s three-day holiday and a day of adjournment on Thursday.

Speaker Meira Kumar adjourned the Lok Sabha as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs joined by AIADMK members chanted: “We want JPC! — a JPC that would look into the alleged scam that is said to have caused a loss of Rs.1.76 lakh crore to the national exchequer.

The speaker first tried to convince the protesting MPs to allow the question hour. As slogan shouting continued, she tried to ignore the noisy protests and ordered that the questions listed for the day be raised.

However, as the noise grew, the speaker adjourned the house till noon just five minutes after the house resumed at 11 a.m.

In the Rajya Sabha, the scene was no different, forcing Chairman Hamid Ansari to adjourn the upper house till 12 noon after similar protests.

But with no respite, both houses were later adjourned until Tuesday.

The government had hoped that the opposition would allow parliament to function after Raja resigned as the minister Sunday night.