BSP walks out over Dalit funds for Games

Alleging that funds meant for Scheduled Castes had been diverted by the Delhi government to the Commonwealth Games, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MPs Tuesday walked out of the Lok Sabha.

Soon after the house re-assembled at 11.40 a.m. following an adjournment, the BSP MPs created an uproar.

BSP's leader in Lok Sabha, Dara Singh Chauhan, alleged that Rs.750 crore meant for the welfare of Dalits had been diverted by the Delhi government for the October Games.

"There is a loot of money in the name of the Commonwealth Games," Chauhan thundered and demanded a discussion.

Janata Dal-United (JD-U) leader Sharad Yadav supported the BSP and said the house should discuss the issue.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal said the allegations were based on media reports, which he said were baseless. "No fund has been diverted," Bansal said.

However, the BSP MPs continued their protest and stuck to their demand for a discussion Tuesday.

Speaker Meira Kumar said the issue could not be discussed Tuesday as there would be a discussion on price rise.

Protesting the ruling, Chauhan led the BSP MPs and walked out of the Lok Sabha.