Indian parliament rocked for 2nd day

Opposition members refused to allow proceedings to start as they bayed for Natwar Singh to be thrown out of the cabinet.

Natwar Singh, who resigned as foreign minister over the scandal but remained minister without portfolio, and the Congress party which heads the coalition government were named as beneficiaries in a UN report on the oil-for-food scandal.

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The report alleged that Natwar Singh and the Congress party profited from separate oil allocations by the government of Saddam Hussein, reportedly given to those who supported the regime.

But he remains a minister without portfolio and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has promised him his old job back if two separate probes set up by the government clear him.

"Natwar Singh resign," shouted opposition members as they stormed the speaker's chair in the lower elected house of parliament.

Speaker Somnath Chatterjee appealed for calm but his request went unheeded as opposing members tried to shout down each other over the scandal.

"I am sorry to say the house is being held to ransom by some members who have been elected to represent the people in the house," he said before adjourning the lower house.

The upper house whose members are appointed also adjourned as opposition members there also turned up the heat on the government.