LUCKNOW: The Bharatiya Janata Party staged a walkout in the Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Sabha on Tuesday in protest against the State Government's refusal to institute a CBI inquiry into the marks-sheet scandal of Chaudhary Charan Singh University in Meerut. It accused the Government of shielding the guilty.

The BJP members were not convinced by the reply given by Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav on the subject which hit the headlines recently.

Earlier, when the Vidhan Sabha assembled for the day at 11 a.m., the BJP members entered the well of the House upon the Speaker, Mata Prasad Pandey's refusal to grant permission for a debate on "Islamic terrorism". The notice under Rule 311 was served by the Leader of the Opposition, Lalji Tandon. The Speaker, however, managed to pacify the BJP members who returned to their seats after remaining in the well for about eight minutes. The issue would be debated in the House on Wednesday.

Raising the marks-sheet scam during Zero Hour, Laxmikant Bajpai and Narendra Kumar Singh Gaur of the BJP said the fate of around 1.78 lakh graduate and post-graduate students of Meerut University was at stake and demanded that strict action be taken against the persons involved in the scandal. Examination copies of graduate and post-graduate students found their way to Agra where they were reportedly checked by Class VII and VIII students.

Mr. Bajpai drew the attention of the Government towards the examination sheets having recovered from Firozabad and Tundla. The BJP MLA slammed the Government and demanded that the Meerut University Registrar B. L Arya's son R. P. Singh, who was allegedly at the head of the scandal, should be booked under the National Security Act (NSA). The BJP member further demanded that NSA be invoked against the head of the examination evaluation committee, A. P. Garg, and a CBI probe should be ordered in the scam.

Regretting that the Registrar, B. L. Arya, was still at large, the BJP members said action should also be taken against the Vice-Chancellor, S. P. Ojha.

Giving his reply, the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister informed the agitated BJP members that the Registrar had been suspended and the head of the evaluation committee removed from his post. On the BJP's demand for action against the Vice-Chancellor, Mr. Yadav said it would depend on the findings of the inquiry team headed by the Meerut Divisional Commissioner.

However, the BJP members were not convinced with the Chief Minister's reply and staged a walkout.

The Congress also staged a walkout, this time on the issue of drought, which according to the party members was spreading its tentacles.

The issue was raised by the leader of Congress Legislature Party, Pramod Tewari, and his colleague, Jagdambika Pal.

Supplementary grants

Meanwhile, the demand for Supplementary grants second instalment of Rs 2882.70 crores for the financial year 2006-2007 was tabled in the House by Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav who is also the Finance Minister.

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