By IANS,
New Delhi: The entire opposition Thursday walked out of the Lok Sabha demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) or a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into allegations of corruption in the export of non-Basmati rice to African countries.
A calling attention motion was moved by Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader Arjun Charan Sethi and four MPs including Samajwadi Party’s Shailendra Kumar, Communist Party of India-Marxist’s (CPI-M) Basudeb Acharia and Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Gopinath Munde.
Sethi alleged that non-Basmati rice was exported through private parties and that Ghana’s authorities were conducting an inquiry into the import of rice from India.
Commerce and Trade Minister Anand Sharma said: “There is no basis in this allegation, we will have every transaction inquired.”
Sharma also said that if there was any infringement of the guidelines of the directorate of foreign trade, then the director general of foreign trade will fix responsibility and take action. “Nobody will be spared if any infringement is found.”
Opposition leader L.K. Advani demanded a JPC or CBI probe into the matter but the government rejected the demand. Immediately, the entire opposition trooped out of the house.