No work no pay: Speaker warns MPs

{image-somnath chatterjee_28042008.jpg news.oneindia.in}New Delhi, Apr 28 : Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee today said in Parliament that 'if there is no work, there should be no pay for MPs', as the opposition members created an uproar in the Lower House demanding Union Shipping and Road Transport Minister T R Baalu's resignation.

Reprimanding the MPs after he was forced to adjourn the House, Chatterjee asked, "If there is no work, there should be no pay. Are the MPs being paid Rs 1,000 daily for this?" The same situation was witnessed in the Rajya Sabha too, where the opposition NDA and AIADMK members staged a walkout after their demand for suspension of the Question Hour to take up the issue of alleged misuse of office by Baalu was disallowed. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Jaswant Singh said: "A member promoting the interests of any entity linked to him is a clear conflict of interest. The Prime Minister and Petroleum Minister are also answerable. We want to know if the PM thinks like Baalu and sees no wrong in this," and added that Deora has not replied to eight letters asking for clarification.

Demanding an explanation from the Prime Minister, Senior BJP leader L K Advani said: "I would like to urge the Prime Minister to make a statement in both houses of Parliament as to what he has to say about it. The facts are not in dispute at all. The Cabinet Minister has admitted having approached the PMO to seek favour for his son or sons."

Recently, Baalu had admitted to taking favours for a family-owned firm and told the Rajya Sabha, that there was nothing wrong in requesting the Petroleum Minister to provide gas to the company, in which he had held the post of Managing Director and now his sons and their wives are associated with the firm.

ANI