Opp smells blood, to stall Parliament over the tapes

Opp smells blood, to stall Parliament over the tapes
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

NEW DELHI, March 13: Armed with the explosive Tehelka expose, the Opposition will go for the jugular in Parliament tomorrow.

The combined Opposition strategy is to first demand a comprehensive explanation from the Atal Behari Vajpayee government and disallow any business to be transacted in Parliament until a reply is given. If the government's response is not satisfactory, they have decided to demand its resignation.

Both Houses of Parliament were rocked this evening with the Opposition raising the issue. Amid shouts of ``gali gali mein shor hai, Atal Behari chor hai'', the Lok Sabha had to be adjourned for the day. In the Rajya Sabha, members demanded the arrest of those involved in the scam.

Leaders of the main Opposition party, the Congress, and the Left parties helda meeting after reports of the expose came out. They were of the view that the matter had very serious implications for the country's security, especially in view of the involvement in the scandal of some of the ruling party's higher-ups and key ministers besides those who were part of the defence establishment.

Their effort also seems to be to keep the Prime Minister's Office in the focus of their attack given the references to Brajesh Mishra, principal secretary to the Prime Minister, and Ranjan Bhattacharya, Vajpayee's foster son-in-law.

``We will not allow the proceedings to continue till the government comes clean. If no satisfactory explanation is forthcoming the government will have to go,'' said Madhavrao Scindia, deputy leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha. Earlier, Congress spokesman S. Jaipal Reddy said that it was not just a question of money changing hands. ``It is the security of the country which has been bartered away,'' he said.

That the Opposition will not let the government slip away was evident from Reddy's digs at Defence Minister George Fernandes who figures prominently in the Tehelka tapes. ``When the issue was raised in the Lok Sabha today, the defence minister took to his heels. He ran away from the House,'' he said.

Reactions from other Opposition groups were also on similar lines. The CPI(M) said, ``There can be no compromise with criminal and illegal activities. The country will not tolerate any attempt to cover up this most shocking scandal.'' The CPI said that in the light of the ``shocking revelations'' the government had no moral right to continue.