Demands for Krishna's removal rock parliament

BJP members demanded resignation of foreign minister during the zero hour

PTI | December 9, 2011



Both houses of parliament were adjourned till noon on friday following uproar over opposition demand for resignation of external affairs minister S M Krishna for his alleged involvement in a mining scam.

As soon as speaker Meira Kumar read out an obituary reference to the victims of Kolkata fire, BJP members rushed to the well demanding Krishna's resignation after Karnataka Lokayukta police registered an FIR against him.

Congress members from Telangana region were seen waving banners and raising slogans for a separate state.

'Fulfil your commitment, Honour Telangana Sentiment', 'Telangana is People's Demand, United Andhra is leader's demand', 'Two years too late, Honour December 9, 2009 Promise' read some of the banners waved the Congress members.

Amid din, the Speaker adjourned the House till noon.

On 9 December 2009, home minister P Chidambaram had announced that the centre would start the process of forming a separate Telangana state, pending the introduction and passage of a separate resolution in the Andhra Pradesh assembly.

Following the announcement TRS chief K Chandrashekar Rao had ended his 11-day fast to press for a separate state.

However, nearly a fortnight later the Centre announced that no action would be taken on Telangana till a consensus was reached by all parties.

As the Rajya Sabha convened on friday, opposition BJP trooped into the well demanding Krishna's resignation.

"Have shame! S M Krishna you resign...," BJP members shouted slogans following which chairman Hamid Ansari adjourned the House till 12 noon.

BJP member Venkaiah Naidu demanded suspension of the Question Hour to discuss the issue of FIR filed against Krishna.

He said the minister cannot continue in office and should be removed forthwith.

Naidu was joined by Naresh Chandra Agrawal (BSP), who also demanded a discussion on the issue.

The FIR was registered by the Lokayukta police following a private complaint by social activist and businessman, T J Abraham.

He alleged that as chief minister from 1999 to 2003, Krishna took decisions that facilitated illegal mining and did not protect the state's forests.

On December 3, Lokayukta court judge N K Sudhindra Rao had directed the police to investigate the complaint.

 

Related Story

BJP members walkout on inflation; return to stall Lok Sabha

BJP members in the Lok Sabha on friday returned half-way through walkout over price rise to demand resignation of External Affairs Minister S M Krishna for his alleged involvement in a mining scam, leading to adjournment of the House for the day.

As Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj led a walkout of NDA members expressing dissatisfaction over Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's reply to a discussion on inflation, some of her colleagues realised that Speaker Meira Kumar had called for the Zero Hour.

BJP member Ananth Kumar, who had almost left the House, turned back raising slogans and demanding resignation of Krishna, whose name figures in a FIR filed by the Karnataka Lokayukta Police yesterday on a private complaint alleging that he facilitated illegal mining during his tenure as chief minister.

The FIR also names former Karnataka chief ministers Dharam Singh and H D Kumaraswamy.

A large number of BJP members, who were still in the aisles, also turned back and trooped to the Well and began raising slogans against Krishna.

"But you had just walked out," remarked Union Minister R P N Singh as he saw BJP members troop into the Well.

"Now we have come back," said a BJP member.

As the sloganeering continued, the Speaker adjourned the proceedings till Monday.

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