NDA walks out over judge’s fodder remark

The BJP-led NDA today staged a walkout in Lok Sabha in protest against a Supreme Court judge saying he was ‘‘approached’’ to change a judge in the fodder scam.

The walkout came after BJP leader V.K. Malhotra demanded PM Manmohan Singh’s response to reports on Justice S.N. Variava’s statement in court that ‘‘someone’’ had sought change of the trial judge looking into the fodder scam. NDA members walked out even as BJP’s Sushil Modi was raising the issue of the law and order in Bihar. Modi demanded that a ‘‘neutral’’ advisor to the Bihar Governor be appointed soon. The protesting members returned as Modi continued to speak. In the Rajya Sabha, Law Minister H.R. Bharadwaj said the Government was against pressuring the judiciary. ‘‘Nobody should be allowed — either from this side (treasury benches) or that (Opposition) — to browbeat the judiciary.’’ —With PTI