Demand for Gadkari resignation rocks Rajya Sabha again

Protests against union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari and demands for his resignation continued in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, disrupting the house.

Leader of House Arun Jaitley said the Congress is disrupting the house because it does not want some bills to be passed.

Gadkari has already denied any wrongdoing by the Purti Group or by him in financial dealings.

As soon as the house met for the day, Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said the opposition is not satisfied with the reply given by Gadkari in the upper house on Monday.

Azad added that a notice was submitted by Pramod Tiwari of the Congress to adjourn the business of the house and take up discussion on the issue on which the house was disrupted and adjourned eight times on Monday.

Leader of the House Arun Jaitley, however, said: "The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) will discuss the CAG report. The minister came here yesterday (Monday), why did you not seek clarifications from him?"

"It is not such a big issue... you don't want the house to function because there are some bills the Congress does not want," Jaitley said.

This was followed by an uproar from the opposition, and the house was first adjourned till 11.30 a.m. and then till 12 noon.

When the house met again at noon, the scene remained similar, forcing another adjournment till 12.30 p.m. when Congress members once again trooped with placards in hands near the chairman's podium.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the government is ready for discussion.

Amid din, Chairman M. Hamid Ansari adjourned the house till 1 p.m.