Chidambaram faces opposition ire in RS

NEW DELHI: Continuing its boycott of Home Minister P Chidambaram, opposition BJP and AIADMK today created ruckus in Rajya Sabha whenever the minister rose to answer queries put to him during the Question Hour.

"Chidambaram istifa do (Chidambaram quit)," they shouted, demanding the Home Minister's resignation for his alleged role in irregularities in allotment of 2G telecom spectrum when he was the Finance Minister.

When he rose to reply to supplementaries on stampede at a Yagyna in Haridwar last month, BJP members were up on their feet shouting slogans against him.

R N Pany (BJP) rushed to the Well shouting slogan, "Bhrashtachar nahi chalega, istifa do (corruption will not be tolerated, submit resignation." He was, however, stopped by his party colleagues and was asked to take his seat.

Not satisfied with minister's reply, two BSP members including Naresh Agarwal staged a walk out. Agarwal had sought to know whether the government was proposing any law to release prisoners above the age of 70.

Unfazed by the protests, Chidambaram gave replies to all the supplementaries but he was barely audible.

Chairman Hamid Ansari said he was "perplexed" by the "effort of a section of the House to disturb the Question Hour" and asked if the House wanted to continue with the Question Hour.

Gyan Prakash Pilani (BJP) refused to ask a supplementary when called for saying he was "bound" by certain decisions of his party.

The opposition resorted to slogan-shouting when another question relating to rising crimes against minorities was put to Chidambaram. Similar scenes were witnessed when the next question on deaths in police and judicial custody came up.