The Opposition, led by the Congress, did not allow the Rajya Sabha to function on Friday demanding Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari’s resignation following a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report alleging irregularities involving loans extended to his family-linked Purti Group. The House witnessed sharp exchanges between the Opposition and treasury benches with the Congress members time and again trooping into the Well of the House raising slogans. The chair had to adjourn the proceedings for the day in the afternoon after the pre and post lunch sessions were marred by uproar with the Opposition in no mood to relent forcing seven adjournments.
Raising the issue during the Zero Hour, Congress member Shantaram Naik said a CAG report last week had stated that Purti Sakhar Karkhana(PSKl)- a bagasse based co-generation project of the Purti Group in which Gadkari was once a board member- did not meet conditions for availing interest subsidy from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.
Naik said the CAG has found that PSKl did not comply with the conditions for interest subsidy which stipulated that the renewable energy project was to operate for a minimum of 10 years after its completion and demanded Gadkari’s resignation. His party colleague Anand Sharma said the issue was serious and there has to be accountability and the Congress members then raised a din. Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien said there was no scope for discussion during the Zero Hour while Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the issue raised by the Congress was baseless.
leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said the Minister should resign after indictment by the CAG and said “number of heads have rolled in the past” following CAG reports. Taking a dig at the BJP for its commitment regarding transparency in public life, Azad also said “here is a proved case” and claimed that Gadkari had to resign as BJP president on the same issue. The treasury benches, however, refuted Azad’s charge leading to verbal duel with the Congress MPs who then came into the Well.
Unable to pacify the agitated members, Kurien adjourned the House twice during the Zero Hour. Similar scenes were witnessed during the Question Hour with the Congress members creating a pandemonium. Chairman Hamid Ansari’s plea to allow the Question Hour to function went unheeded and he adjourned the House till after lunch.