New Delhi, Mar 26 (IANS): Parliament was adjourned till 2 p.m. Monday, with one house disrupted over the demand for a separate state of Telangana and the other over the army chief's allegation that he had been offered a bribe to clear a tranche of 600 substandard vehicles.
The Rajya Sabha was adjourned after the opposition demanded a statement from the government on a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry ordered into army chief V.K. Singh's disclosure. The Lok Sabha was also adjourned till 2 p.m. after opposition members raised the demand for statehood to Telangana.
"TV channels are showing that a CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) probe has been ordered. The minister should make a statement on the issue," Deputy Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha S.S. Ahluwalia said.
On the direction of the chair, the only cabinet minister present at that time, Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal, assured the opposition that a statement would be made. The opposition, however, demanded that the house be adjourned for 10 minutes and the minister make a statement on the issue.
Amid the din, Deputy Chairman K. Rahman Khan adjourned the house till 2 p.m.
This was the second adjournment in the day for the Rajya Sabha, which also missed its question hour following opposition protest on Singh's allegation.
According to an interview published in The Hindu newspaper Monday, V.K. Singh said a lobbyist offered him a bribe of Rs.14 crore to have tranche of 600 sub-standard vehicles of a particular make cleared for purchase.
In the Lok Sabha, members of the Telangana Rashtra Samiti and Congress members from Andhra Pradesh raised the demand for carving out a state of Telangana from Andhra Pradesh.
Some members also raised the allegations by the army chief.
The lower house was first disrupted till noon.
Congress MP Satpal Maharaj, who was in the chair when the Lok Sabha reconvened, rushed through the papers to be laid and allowed Samajwadi Party MP Shailendra Kumar to speak on the general budget.
He repeatedly urged members to allow normal functioning of the house. However, as the din continued, he adjourned the house till 2 p.m.