Deepening the row over Union Minister T R Baalu’s “request” for supply of natural gas to firms owned by his sons, an agitated Opposition today demanded that the Prime Minister clarify whether his office had recommended that the supply of gas be expedited.Keeping up the pressure on the government, NDA members staged a walkout in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha after they were not allowed to raise the issue.In Lok Sabha, BJP, JD-U and MDMK members were on their feet as soon as the House met, prompting Speaker Somnath Chatterjee to resort to an unusual step of ordering dimming of lights and switching off live telecast briefly. Opposition members demanded an immediate statement by the government over the issue and trooped into the well chanting slogans like “dismiss Baalu” and “save PMO from malpractices”.The treasury benches retaliated by alleging “misuse” of the PMO during NDA rule.The Speaker refused to accept the Opposition demand for an immediate clarification by the Prime Minister, saying Question Hour should be allowed. Similar scenes were again witnessed during Zero Hour. Subsequently, the Opposition walked out.In Rajya Sabha, Leader of Opposition Jaswant Singh raised the issue, saying since the Prime Minister’s conduct was “directly involved”, he should come to the House and clarify the situation. “We do want an answer from the Prime Minister,” he said.He said the PMO wrote eight times to the Petroleum Ministry on this issue and rejected as “very curious” the government argument that the PMO did not mean the Prime Minister. Maintaining that the PMO was the “direct extension” of the Prime Minister, Jaswant Singh said though the issue was being raised every day, the response of the government was “not forthcoming” and it has made the matter more complicated.As the Opposition persisted with its demand for a response from the government, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi assured the House that the government would look into the issue and a “response will come later”.Meanwhile, the Congress sought to insulate the PMO from the controversy over the issue of letters written by the PMO, saying they were merely “forwarding” in nature. “The PMO has not recommended or directed anything but forwarded them (the letters) in a routine manner,” Congress spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi told reporters.
