Illegal mining: Rajya Sabha adjourned twice after uproar over demand to sack SM Krishna

NEW DELHI: Rajya Sabha was adjourned twice today after the opposition led by BJP created uproar demanding sacking of External Affairs Minister S M Krishna following an FIR alleging his role in illegal mining as Karnataka chief minister.

As soon as the House met for the day, opposition members demanded Krishna's resignation and shouted slogans like "Have shame! S M Krishna you resign...."

BJP members then trooped into the Well and continued to raise slogans, following which Chairman Hamid Ansari adjourned the House till noon.

When the House reassembled, similar scenes were witnessed. BJP members supported by those from the Left and BSP participated in slogan shouting.

While the Left and the BSP were on their feet, some BJP members rushed into the Well demanding sacking of Krishna.

"Pehle Krishna makhan khata tha, yeh Krishna khadan khata hai...(Earlier Lord Krishna used to eat butter, this Krishna eats minerals)," they shouted.

P J Kurien, who was in the chair, asked for paper laying which included tabling of the Parliament Standing Committee report on Lokpal Bill by Abhishek Manu Singhvi (Cong).

Amid din, the Chair adjourned the House till 2:30 pm. The FIR against Krishna was registered by the Lokayukta police following a private complaint by social activist and businessman, T J Abraham, who 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 police to investigate the complaint.