Volcker haunts UPA in Parliament

New Delhi: The Volcker report kicked up a storm in both Houses of Parliament leading to their adjournment.

Both UPA and NDA leaders created unruly scenes and raised slogans in the House.

Speaker Somnath Chatterjee adjourned the Lok Sabha till November 25 and the Rajya Sabha was adjourned till 1200 hrs (IST).

The pandemonium started within minutes of the Lok Sabha being convened at 1100 hrs (IST) when Somnath Chatterjee allowed BJP leader V K Malhotra to speak on the adjournment motion moved by him on the issue.

There was a huge uproar when he named UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and the former External Affairs Minister as the beneficiaries of the Iraqi oil pay-offs which was vociferously opposed by the treasury bench.

The Speaker failed to bring order even after saying the matter was listed in the day's business and later adjourned the house till 1130 hours.

The trouble heightened after the break when Opposition and Treasury benches continued levelling charges at each other forcing the adjournment.

Rajya Sabha, too, witnessed similar scenes and was adjourned for 45 minutes following sloganeering by the Opposition over the Volcker Committee report

As soon as the House assembled, Leader of the Opposition in the House, Jaswant Singh raised the matter and sought immediate discussion on it after suspending the Question Hour.

Chairman Bhairon Singh Shekhawat's refusal to suspend the Question Hour triggered protests from the Opposition benches, leading to the adjournment of the House hardly 15 minutes after it met for the day.

(with agency inputs)