The issue of the appointment of P.J. Thomas as Central Vigilance Commissioner rocked Parliament on Friday, with the Opposition demanding that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh make a statement on the entire episode.
Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ashwani Kumar, however, said the government would make a suitable statement next week. He was responding to a demand raised by M. Venkaiah Naidu of the BJP in the Rajya Sabha, though the BJP was conspicuously silent on the issue in the Lok Sabha.
Left parties and the Janata Dal (United) forced an adjournment in the Lok Sabha on the issue.
Jayaprada added to the din, wanting to know when the government intended to get the Women's Reservation Bill ratified in the Lok Sabha, since it was passed by the Rajya Sabha.
Basudeb Acharia of the CPI(M), Gurudas Dasgupta of the CPI and Sharad Yadav of the JD(U) sought to raise the issue, stressing that they had given due notice. Mr. Acharia and Mr. Dasgupta demanded the presence of the Prime Minister to respond to the issue, saying he owed an answer to the country. Mr. Yadav termed it a serious matter.
Unable to take up the discussion on the Railway budget, Speaker Meira Kumar adjourned the House for an hour.
