Opposition pacified after PM's statement

New Delhi, Mar 1 (UNI) The Opposition-led four days of impasse in Lok Sabha ended today after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told the House that he did not hold any press conference exclusively on the Quattarocchi issue and he had no intention to overlook Parliament.

In a statement in the Lok Sabha, which witnessed two adjournments today with the opposition persisting with its demand that the Prime Minister explain why he had made the observations on the issue outside Parliament, Dr Singh said he had no intention to bypass Parliament.

He said some newspersons had approached him to get his reactions on assembly elections and in the process somebody asked a question on Quattrocchi's arrest in Argentina to which he said CBI will take care of it.

The Prime Minister's clarification came after Leader of the Opposition L K Advani made some observations on the continuous stalemate in the House.

Mr Advani said he came to know about the detention of Ottavio Quattrocchi, main acused in the bofors pay off case, on the evening of February 23 but later on came to know through the media that he was in fact detained by the Argentinian authorities on February 6.

''Why did the Government hide this from the country and from Parliament? The matter did not find a mention even in the President's address,'' he said.

The BJP MP said so far in India, 14 Lok Sabha elections have been held and every time one or the other issue was in the main focus which turned out to be the main political agenda in that election.

He said in the 1977 election, Emergency was the main agenda, in 1984 Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's assassination was the main focus and in 1989 Bofors issue was the main election agenda.

He said it was during the NDA governemnt that they requested the interpol to issue a red corner notice for the arrest of Quattrocchi and as a result he was detained.

He said since the Government had agreed to have a debate on this issue after the President's vote of thanks, he would not speak further on it now.

UNI