Government has lost right to continue in power, says BJP

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Thursday said the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government has lost its right to continue in office as it evaded the vote on the Lokpal bill in the Rajya Sabha.

"The government is running away as it is in a hopeless minority... If a government runs away from parliament, it does not have a right to continue in office for a minute," Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley said, minutes before the house was adjourned sine die.

Talking to reporters outside parliament later, Jaitley reiterated his demand and called the government's action the single largest fraud in parliament's history.

"This is the single largest fraud in the history of parliament," he said.

"This was a choreography which was going on since day before yesterday. When it was passed in Lok Sabha, it should have been brought in upper house yesterday (Wednesday). But they did not bring it. Even today the debate could have ended long back," he said, accusing the government of deliberately delaying the proceedings.

"They asked some friendly parties to create a ruckus, but RJD having lesser numbers could not. The minister (V. Narayanasamy) took so long to reply, even though no one could understand what he was saying," he said.

"This government has lost its political and moral authority to govern the country," he said.

Members of opposition, meanwhile, staged a protest outside parliament, with BJP members, accompanied by other opposition parties, shouting slogans against the government.

BJP members dominated the agitation, shouting slogans that the government has committed a fraud.

Another BJP leader, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the episode showed that the country is "moving towards (an) emergency."

Party spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy said that "the government has once again betrayed the nation".