BJP members walkout on inflation; return to stall Lok Sabha

NEW DELHI: BJP members in the Lok Sabha today 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.