PMO fiat on Advani: Oppn up in arms

New Delhi: The exposure of a secret PMO note to the CBI asking why no action was taken against BJP leader L K Advani in the Babri Masjid demolition case has landed the UPA Government in a soup.

The Opposition is up in arms demanding immediate resignation of the Prime Minister and targeting Congress chief Sonia Gandhi for intervening in the functioning of the central investigative agency and hurting its autonomous character.

Media reports on Thursday said the UPA government had sent a letter to the then CBI director U S Mishra asking why no appeal had been made challenging the discharge of Advani in a case relating to his alleged inflammatory speeches leading to the demolition of the Babri Masjid.

Even as the political storm gathered steam over the issue, agitated BJP members on Thursday raised an uproar in the Lok Sabha, stalling the Question Hour and forcing two adjournments.

As soon as the House assembled at 1100 hrs (IST), the BJP members were on their feet shouting slogans: "Pardhan mantri istifa do ... Sonia Gandhi murdabad (Prime Minister must resign ... down with Sonia Gandhi)."

The BJP members were demanding an explanation from the government over the letter from the PMO.

Angry BJP MPs said the government was targeting Advani and interfering in the affairs of the CBI. They demanded that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh step down.

BJP leader Arun jaitley alleged that the Prime Minister lied to the country that the govt did not interfere in the affairs of the CBI.

The Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were adjourned in the morning over the issue. The Houses reconvened but were adjourned again till 2 pm.

The UPA government has responsed, saying that the letter asking for a status check of the case cannot be called interference.

It said the letter was sent in August 2005 by the PMO to the then CBI director U S Mishra, asking why no appeal was filed against Advani after his discharge in the case related to alleged inflammatory speeches that led to the Babri Masjid demolition in 1992.

The case has already been revived by the Allahabad High Court.

Minister of State for Home Affairs Shriprakash Jaiswal defended the government saying there is nothing wrong in asking for clarifications from the CBI.

The irate members said the government had on one hand directed the CBI to exonerate Italian fugitive businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi and had chosen to implicate Advani on the other.