A claim by Rashtriya Janata Dal Member of Parliament Pappu Yadav in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday -- that Bharatiya Janata Party leader V K Malhotra met him in Tihar Jail and asked him to vote against the trust motion -- lead to noisy scenes in the House which was briefly adjourned, but the saffron party leader denied the charge.
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During the debate on the trust vote when Malhotra was going hammer and tongs against the United Progressive Alliance, accusing it of taking the help of convicted MPs to save the government, Yadav immediately sprang on his feet, charging the BJP leader with meeting him in jail and seeking his vote against the motion.
This prompted members in the treasury benches to shout 'shame, shame' as Yadav, who is convicted in a criminal case, continued to repeat the charges. He was supported by another convicted MP, Mohd Shahabuddin, who was seated by his side.
In the din, Malhotra denied the charge saying, "I have never met him. I have never spoken to him even once."
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Heated exchanges followed between the treasury benches and the Opposition, prompting Speaker Somnath Chatterjee to adjourn the House for 15 minutes.
After Chatterjee left the Chair, Yadav and Shahabuddin were seen speaking to their leaders including UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav.
Several senior Congress leaders like Union Ministers Shivraj Patil, Kapil Sibal, Renuka Chowdhury and others were seen discussing the matter. All India Congress Committee General Secretary Rahul Gandhi was also seen speaking to his mother. Yadav and Shahabuddin later went into the Speaker's chamber.
When the House reassembled, the Speaker expressed 'great agony' and appealed to members not to make personal remarks. "Power is not everything," Chatterjee asserted.
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