Opposition wants Chidambaram's scalp, disrupts Parliament

 Home minister P Chidambaram speaks in Lok Sabha in New Delhi. PTI/TV grabOpposition MPs on Tuesday heckled home minister P Chidambaram to prevent him from speaking in Lok Sabha, part of the move to boycott the former finance minister in Parliament for his alleged complicity in the 2G spectrum allotment case.

Led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), MPs

rose from their seats and booed Chidambaram when he began replying to a question by Congress' Meenakshi Natarajan on human trafficking.

There was noisy protests and slogans whenever the home minister stood up to answer questions on issues like human trafficking and the present status of setting up of National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) and the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC).

Though barely audible, the home minister appeared unfazed and continued with his reply.

Demanding Chidambaram's resignation for his alleged role in irregularities in allotment of the 2G telecom spectrum when he was the finance minister, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) members had decided to boycott the home minister at the start of the winter session that began Nov 22.

The BJP also briefly disrupted proceedings in Rajya Sabha.

Soon after the House mourned the deaths in southern Philippines due to cyclone, Chandan Mitra (BJP) raised the issue of Chidambaram allegedly helping his former client, a charge that has been vehemently denied by the home minister.

BJP members also expressed anguish over the move in Siberia to ban Bhagavad Gita.

Chairman Hamid Ansari said a notice for zero hour mention has been accepted and the issue can be raised them.

An agitated NC Pany (BJP) demanded resignation of Chidambaram for his alleged role in the 2G scam.

He also said that the home minister was allegedly behind the midnight crackdown by the Delhi Police at the venue of yoga guru Ramdev's agitation at Ramlila grounds here.

Ansari disallowed Mitra, who was supported by AIADMK, and took up the first listed question of the day.

Omar's CrPC move faces stiff opposition

Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah's move to amend local laws to provide legal protection to the security forces in the state has met with severe opposition. On Saturday, independent MLA Engineer Rasheed, separatist outfit JKLF and the Kashmir Bar Association said the move was "disastrous and detrimental to people of the state".

In a bid to push for withdrawal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and allay the fears of the armed forces, Abdullah on Thursday had offered to amend the Ranbir Penal Code, as the India Penal Code is known in the state.

Rasheed said Abdullah was trying to camouflage his failures to remove AFSPA by suggesting an amendment to the Ranbir Penal Code.

"The move will be more disastrous for the human rights scenario because it will be a perpetual immunity to the security forces, while the AFSPA is a temporary one," Rasheed said.

In another press statement, JKLF chief Yasin Malik termed the move as "a conspiracy against the people of Kashmir". "To prove his loyalty to New Delhi, Abdullah is making AFSPA a permanent feature by making amendments to the Criminal Procedure code."

The bar association said, "Once the amendment in CrPc is carried out it would create a permanent role for army and cover-up its operations."