Opposition motion on UTI muddle defeated

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, AUG. 2. An Opposition-sponsored motion censuring the Government on the Unit Trust of India (UTI) issue was negated in the Lok Sabha today amid uproarious scenes and without the Finance Minister, Mr. Yashwant Sinha, being permitted to finish his reply to an acrimonious debate earlier.

The debate on the adjournment motion moved by Mr. Priyaranjan Dasmunshi of the Congress turned into an unprecedented event as the Finance Minister finally got up to reply.

A grim-faced Mr. Sinha, who had been targeted by many members for his ``failure'' to manage the UTI affairs and whose resignation had been sought by almost all Opposition members, made some references to Congress member, Mr. Mani Shankar Iyer's intervention and then turned to the RJD member, Mr. Raghuvansh Prasad. ``His intervention is not worth my reply,'' the Finance Minister said which immediately provoked the Congress and RJD members to protest the Minister's ``indiscretion''.

The Speaker, Mr. G.M.C. Balayogi's ruling that he would look into the records and take action, if necessary, failed to pacify the members who then stormed the well of the House.

The atmosphere became tense as the NDA back-benchers also stood up and joined in the slogan-shouting. The Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, and the Leader of the Opposition, Ms. Sonia Gandhi, were present.

While a section of members who were in the well demanded an apology from Mr. Sinha, some others demanded his resignation. Slogans like ``vit mantri istifa do'' (Finance Minister must resign) rent the air which was soon replaced with the demand from the Opposition ``we want a JPC.''

Prompt came the reply from the BJP benches who replaced JPC with BJP. Mr. Dasmunshi continued to demand a JPC probe as well as an inquiry into the role of the Prime Minister's Office in the UTI affairs.

While the slogan-shouting lasted for quite a while, the Prime Minister did make an attempt to address the House, but soon gave up as the din continued.

With the situation running into a stalemate, the Deputy Speaker, Mr. P.M. Sayeed, who was now in the Chair, announced that the Finance Minister would not reply and put the motion to vote which was negated through a voice-vote.

Earlier, during the debate, the Finance Minister came in for considerable attack. Mr. Somnath Chatterjee (CPI-M) read out from the UTI Act to establish the fact that the Government was deeply involved in the setting up and functioning of the UTI.

Mr. Sinha's contention that it was an autonomous organisation in which the Government had no role did not wash, he emphasised. Reminding Mr. Sinha of the Constitutional responsibility of a Minister to inform Parliament and through it the people about matters affecting the public, Mr. Chatterjee said the Finance Minister had failed on this score. ``He has forfeited his right to sit in that chair. Mr. Finance Minister, you have abdicated your responsibility. You should resign,'' he said.

Mr. Raghuvansh Prasad, in his intervention, pointed out that under Mr. Sinha's stewardship of the Finance Ministry, there has been a stock market scam, an excise scam in which the Chairman of the Central Board of Excise and Customs was arrested on corruption charges and now the UTI scam.

``On charges of conspiracy, Mr. Laloo Yadav is being sent to jail repeatedly while he is sitting here,'' Mr. Prasad said pointing to Mr. Sinha. ``He says he did not know anything. Can an ignorant Minister continue in Government. He should resign and he should be arrested,'' Mr. Prasad said.

While the Congress and the NDA members charged each other with mismanaging the UTI at different points of time, some members from other parties referred to the fact that blaming each other would not solve the issue and instead an attempt should be made to correct things so that ordinary investors were not duped in future.

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