Bansal's alleged role in shop scam disrupts Parl

Both houses adjourned after opposition raises issue

PTI | March 14, 2011



Alleging involvement of union minister P K Bansal in a shop allocation scam in Chandigarh, opposition BJP on Monday forced adjournments of both houses of Parliament.

As soon as the Lok Sabha assembled for the day, BJP members were on their feet trying to raise the matter of "attack" on party activists last week in Chandigarh who were demanding a CBI probe into the alleged multi-crore rupee fraud in allotment of small shops.

Leader of the opposition Sushma Swaraj said a report on the allotment of small shops or booths had highlighted "glaring irregularities" in the process. She demanded that the CBI should probe the matter.

BJP member from Amritsar Navjyot Singh Sidhu was seen rushing to speaker Meira Kumar with some papers believed to be extracts from the said report.

Launching a stout defence, Bansal said BJP members were trying to instigate the people and it was for the first time in his political career he had seen the leader of the opposition raising an issue without ascertaining the veracity of the report.

The parliamentary affairs minister said there was no magisterial inquiry into the matter and the officer appointed to probe it "used to intimidate the people".

"What wrong have I done in demanding removal of the officer who used to trouble the people there and even abused them," Bansal asked.

Amid charges and counter-charges between the opposition members and the minister, speaker Meira Kumar adjourned the house till noon.

Earlier, SP members raised the issue of "attack" on their partymen by the Mayawati government in Uttar Pradesh.

SP members rushed to the well raising slogans and waving copies of newspapers carrying the reports on the matter.

They, however, returned to their seats when the speaker assured SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav that he would be allowed to raise the issue during Zero Hour.

In the Rajya Sabha, BJP members S S Ahluwalia and Rajiv Pratap Rudy tried to raise the Chandigarh shop allotment issue during Zero Hour.

Deputy chairman K Rahman Khan, who was in the chair, said the Rajya Sabha chairman had not admitted the petition of the BJP member to raise the issue.

But the BJP members were adamant and trooped into the well following which Khan adjourned the house till noon.
 

Comments

 

Other News

Distinguishing Fish 1 and Fish 2: The pragmatism behind India’s WTO ratification

 India became the 123rd WTO member to ratify the multilateral Agreement on Fisheries subsidies (AoFS) when it deposited the Instrument of Acceptance for Phase 1 on July 20, 2026. The ratification is restricted to disciplining Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated fishing (IUU), protection for overfished

The 7% growth problem: Why the next 7% will be harder

India has become accustomed to hearing the 7% growth number. It is now less a milestone than an expectation. Yet the paradox is becoming clearer: maintaining 7% growth may be considerably harder than achieving it once. India’s real GDP grew 7.7% in FY2025–26, following growth of 6.5% in FY202

The Constitution cannot be altered: Justice Abhay Oka

Justice Abhay Oka, who retired from the Supreme Court in May 2025, has said that the Constitution of India cannot be altered. Explaining the landmark Kesavananda Bharati judgment (1973) on the basic structure of the Constitution, he said, “This is one judgment that has saved democracy in India.&rdq

How the flora and fauna evolved in the Indian subcontinent

Mammals of India  By A.J.T. Johnsingh and P.O. Nameer HarperCollins India in association with Bombay Natural History Society  

India`s renewable race is moving beyond megawatts

When Shell bought Sprng Energy in 2022, India`s renewable energy market appeared to offer precisely what global energy majors were seeking: scale, growth and a place in one of the world`s largest energy transitions. Four years later, Shell is selling the same business to Aditya Birla Group for an enterpris

Nepal Floods: India keeps close watch on the situation

India`s central government has been keeping a close watch on the situation arising out of the flash flood in Nepal on Wednesday. Union home minister Amit Shah spoke with the chief ministers of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, the two states that share the border with Nepal, regarding the disaster

Upcoming Conferences



-->

Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter