New Delhi:
As Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Pawan Kumar Bansal is meant to bridge the gap between the government and the Opposition. A job that's become a little tougher now that the Opposition's insisting on his resignation.
"If they find anything against me, I will never come to the Parliament...but this kind of behaviour is unacceptable in Parliament," the MP from Chandigarh said today, as BJP MPs campaigned aggressively against him, rushing to the well of the House.
The Opposition alleges that Mr Bansal has been indicted for colluding with senior Chandigarh administration and police officials to cheat shopkeepers out of their booths.
In 1989, a massive fire destroyed Chandigarh's Krishna Market. Those whose shops burnt down were meant to get new booths. Instead, 90 shops were given to ineligible entrepreneurs.
The inquiry was ordered in March last year by Governor Shivraj Patil, and was conducted by Additional Deputy Commissioner P S Shergill.
"These booths were meant to be assigned under a rehabilitation scheme....but this has benefited only those who are rich....and already had showrooms and were millionaires," says Dinesh Kumar Sood, who is among those who has been denied a booth.
Mr Shergill alleges the swindle runs into crores, and he has recommended a CBI inquiry.
That's given the BJP a new focal point as it hammers the government for a glut of corruption scandals, topped by the 2G spectrum scam, which has forced former Telecom Minister A Raja into jail.
Mr Bansal denies the charges, and describes Mr Shergill's assignment as an incomplete and politically-motivated inquiry. He says he was never asked to give his side of the story, and that the 700-page report does not mention the name of a single witness.
"If they find anything against me, I will never come to the Parliament...but this kind of behaviour is unacceptable in Parliament," the MP from Chandigarh said today, as BJP MPs campaigned aggressively against him, rushing to the well of the House.
The Opposition alleges that Mr Bansal has been indicted for colluding with senior Chandigarh administration and police officials to cheat shopkeepers out of their booths.
In 1989, a massive fire destroyed Chandigarh's Krishna Market. Those whose shops burnt down were meant to get new booths. Instead, 90 shops were given to ineligible entrepreneurs.
The inquiry was ordered in March last year by Governor Shivraj Patil, and was conducted by Additional Deputy Commissioner P S Shergill.
"These booths were meant to be assigned under a rehabilitation scheme....but this has benefited only those who are rich....and already had showrooms and were millionaires," says Dinesh Kumar Sood, who is among those who has been denied a booth.
Mr Shergill alleges the swindle runs into crores, and he has recommended a CBI inquiry.
That's given the BJP a new focal point as it hammers the government for a glut of corruption scandals, topped by the 2G spectrum scam, which has forced former Telecom Minister A Raja into jail.
Mr Bansal denies the charges, and describes Mr Shergill's assignment as an incomplete and politically-motivated inquiry. He says he was never asked to give his side of the story, and that the 700-page report does not mention the name of a single witness.
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