Chandigarh shop allotment scam rocks Parliament

New Delhi: Alleging involvement of Union Minister PK 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 party men 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.