Scams, graft pin govt down

 In a sign of the times to come, opposition parties today announced that they would move an adjournment motion in the Lok Sabha tomorrow on corruption issues, including allegations of misuse of public sector undertakings by some ministers and the cash-on-camera scam.

 Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has cut short his tour to Nigeria and Ghana as part of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) visit. He will not go to Ghana and will return to Delhi on Monday.

 The government is likely to argue that while it has no objection to putting all other discussions on hold to hear an adjournment motion, the Opposition would be better served if the discussion took place when the Prime Minister was present in the House.

 Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders are likely to meet tomorrow morning to chalk-out the counter strategy.

 The Opposition has a right to raise adjournment motions once in every session. This means all other matters before the House are held in abeyance.

 The government is honour- and convention-bound to resign if it loses an adjournment motion, though this is an unlikely possibility in the present Lok Sabha.

 Briefing reporters after a meeting of leaders of all opposition parties here this morning, CPI(M) leader in the Lok Sabha Somnath Chatterjee said they would demand a statement from the Prime Minister in the House.