Scandal overshadows Indian parliament's return

Vajpayee challenged the opposition to move a vote of no-confidence

NEW DELHI, India -- India's parliament is expected to face disruption again after the main opposition group stepped up pressure on the government over an arms bribery scandal.

The opposition Congress Party demanded a parliamentary probe into the scandal and the launch of criminal proceedings against those allegedly involved as a condition for ending the long running stalemate in parliament.

Opposition MPs paralyzed both houses of parliament for nine consecutive days last month after an Indian news portal, tehelka.com, screened a secretly filmed video showing Indian officials apparently accepting cash from journalists posing as arms dealers.

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Walk-outs, street protests and angry behavior stopped parliament from functioning during that period and there were expectations of similar scenes when parliament resumes.

The new parliament session began Monday but was adjourned early after paying respects to former deputy prime minister Devi Lal, who died earlier this month.

The government has ordered a judicial probe into the revelations and insists it is prepared to debate the allegations that have already claimed the scalp of defense minister George Fernandes and the chiefs of two political constituents of the ruling coalition.

Congress says Fernandes' resignation is not enough. They want Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's government to resign as well as a full parliamentary probe into the scandal.

On Saturday, there was another twist to the impasse between the government and the Congress party. Leaders of the party refused to attend a meeting called by Vajpayee designed to resolve the parliamentary crisis on the defense tapes.

Congress leaders boycotted that meeting in protest against an enquiry the government has allegedly ordered against their party president and leader, Sonia Gandhi.

The government has said only preliminary investigations have been made and no enquiry has been ordered on allegations made by a former Indian cabinet minister against Gandhi.

Vajpayee went on the offensive on Sunday, challenging the opposition to a show of strength.

"If they feel that we have lost the confidence of the house and they have the confidence of the people, they should bring a no-confidence motion in the House. Let there be a counting of heads," he said at a party rally in Lucknow.

Although the Vajpayee-led NDA (National Democratic Alliance) has a comfortable majority in parliament, it has already lost two allies, the Mamata Bannerjee led Trinamool Congress and the Ramakrishna Hegde-led Lokshakti Party, over the defense scandal.

Both Hegde and Bannerjee were formerly ministers with the current government.

CNN correspondent Suhasini Haidar, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Defensegate: A scandal with a difference
March 21, 2001
Q & A: Uncovering the scandal
March 15, 2001
IN-DEPTH: India's arms scandal

Indian parliament
Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Bharatiya Janata Party
Tehelka.com

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