Thursday, December 8 2005 15:32 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Seeking to turn the tables on the Opposition BJP on the Volcker issue, vociferous Congress members today (December 8, 2005) alleged that close aides of the former Prime Minister A B Vajpayee had dealings with the late sons of ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein under the oil-for-food programme.

Waving reports of a news magazine, Congress members led by Ambika Soni and Anand Sharma demanded in the Rajya Sabha that the Government investigate the reports. The remarks sparked off heated exchanges leading to the adjournment of the house twice in the afternoon.

Soni and Sharma demanded that in view of the seriousness of the matter and attempts by the Opposition BJP to paint the Congress as villians in the Iraqi oil deals, it was fair that the house take up the issue immediately.

However, Deputy Chairman K Rehman Khan who was in the chair said the matter could not be raised as no notice had been given for it. He also took exception to Congress and BJP members waving placards of the media allegations.

As the Congress members remained unrelenting, Khan adjourned the house for 10 minutes, but tempers ran high even when the house resumed as BJP members rushed into the well waving banners calling for resignation of Sonia Gandhi as Chairperson of the National Advisory Council.

With members indulging in heated exchanges, the Deputy Chairman adjourned the house till 1500 hours.