NEW DELHI: (PTI) — The Rajya Sabha (upper house of the Indian parliament) witnessed a 45minute uproar, followed by a walkout, as chairman Shankar Dayal Sharma firmly turned down the op position demand for calling Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi to explain his position in the walk of latest disclosures on the Bofors gun deal.

As the House begins its fourday session, M.S. Gurupadaswamy, Janata Dal, raised the new facts on the Bofors brought to light by the daily “The Hindu”, and demanded that Gandhi comes before the House and explains the position.

While agreeing for a short-duration discussion on the subject right now, S. D. Sharma ruled that the chair had no right to call the Prime Minister. “I have no right to call him her on the basis of a newspaper report. It is not judicious. I do not want to set a wrong precedent,” he said.

About the Hindu report on the basis of which the opposition members were demanding summoning of the Prime Minister to the House, Dr. Sharma observed: “We cannot take any document or story published as gospel truth.”

“The Hindu” had published some withheld parts of the Swedish National Audit Bureau report with documents, which said that P.O. Morberg, now president of the Bofors (Swedish gun manufacturing com pany), had admitted that an Indian was the main beneficiary in the controversial 1986 Bofors gun deal. There are allegations that commissions amounting to 40 million dollars were paid to some three companies, including an Indian, in the deal.

The daily also said that the Indian and the Swedish government had “‘tampered” with the audit bureau report released in June 1987.

Opposition members ex pressing disagreement with the Chairman’s ruling continued to press that the Prime Minister should be called. “He is the culprit,” said Gurupadaswamy.

“No we are not shying away from discussion,” op position leader said in chorus, as Dr. Sharma re marked “I have permitted a short duration discussion. A pandemonium may mean avoidance of discussion.”

He then repeated three times: I am not calling the prime minister, I am not calling the prime minister, I am not calling the prime minister.

Both Gurupadaswamy and Atal Behari Vajpayee, rightwing BJP, clarified on behalf of the opposition that they were not opposed to the discussion but wanted the debate to be fruitful. They, therefore, wanted the prime minister to come to the house and explain the government’s position, they said.

As deputy chairman Najma Heptullah took over from Sharma, opposition members continued to disrupt proceedings to press their points. Some of them rushed to the well of the house, raising slogans against the Prime Minister and demanding his resignation.

Heptullah expressed her inability to do anything in the matter as the chairman had already given his ruling.

Opposition members, bar ring the National Conference, walked out of the house.

Article extracted from this publication >>  October 20, 1989