Both Houses of Parliament were adjourned for the day on Tuesday after the proceedings were stalled by verbal clashes between the Opposition and Treasury benches over the fresh affidavit filed by the government in the Supreme Court on defence purchases during the Kargil war.
The second phase of the Budget session of Parliament began on Tuesday after a break.
Soon after obituary references to Pope John Paul II and four former members in the Lok Sabha, Speaker Somnath Chatterjee allowed Bharatiya Janata Party leader V K Malhotra to raise the issue.
Malhotra alleged that the fresh affidavit was 'contradictory' to the first one and the move was 'immoral, illegal and unconstitutional'.
The first affidavit by the Centre in the SC in the case gave the impression that it had given a clean chit to former defence minister George Fernandes. However, the Centre then filed another affidavit, which said it was referring more cases related to the purchases during the Kargil war to the Central Bureau of Investigation.
Malhotra said the Congress and its president Sonia Gandhi had been levelling false charges against Fernandes. This drew loud protests from the Treasury benches.
Leader of the House and Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee asserted there was 'nothing contradictory' in the two affidavits and everything was done as per the law of the land.
He said the government was ready for a full-fledged discussion on the matter "even today under whatever form or whatever manner the Opposition wanted."
Repeated pleas by Speaker Somnath Chatterjee to restore order and start a full-fledged discussion on the issue failed
to pacify the members, forcing him to adjourn the House for the day.
An anguished speaker said he was giving a "public notice" that he would not adjourn the House from tomorrow under such circumstances "come what may."
Similar scenes were witnessed in the Rajya Sabha with Deputy Chairperson K Rehman Khan calling it a day after it was
adjourned for an hour.
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