UTI issue forces LS adjournment

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, AUG. 10. Nearly a week after the UTI fiasco was fiercely debated in Parliament, the issue resurfaced once again in both Houses leading to heated exchanges between the Opposition and the Treasury Benches.

The Lok Sabha had to be adjourned after question hour as angry Opposition MPs raised a din over the Union Finance Minister, Mr. Yashwant Sinha's refusal to respond to their queries today in protest against his not being allowed to complete his reply during the debate on the issue.

Raising the issue soon after question hour, the Congress MP, Mr. Priyaranjan Dasmunshi, demanded Mr. Sinha's resignation to enable the CBI to carry on a free and fair probe. He said the bail application of the former UTI chief, Mr. Subramanyam, had clearly stated that Mr. Sinha had advised him to keep the US-64 share at a base rate of Rs. 10 and to suspend sale and purchase of the share till the board meeting.

He referred to the fact that during his speech on the issue he had asked Mr. Sinha whether the former UTI chief had sought his advice on the issue at any stage.'' The former UTI chief's bail application proves beyond doubt that the Finance Minister advised him, therefore he must quit to facilitate a fair probe,'' Mr. Dasmunshi said.

In the Rajya Sabha, the issue was raised by the Congress MP, Mr. Kapil Sibal, who asked the Government to clarify the ``contradictory'' statements made by the former UTI chairman and Mr. Sinha. He said Mr. Sinha had told the House that he and his Ministry were kept in the dark by Mr. Subramanyam, but ``his (the former UTI chief's) bail application says that he had informed Mr. Sinha and had been advised by him in the matter before the board meeting''. Mr. Sibal said if this was true it proved that Mr. Sinha had kept the House in the dark and demanded that he make a statement to clarify the position.

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