Government promises probe into Walmart lobbying issue

Both houses of Parliament continued to be in uproar for the second day today over the issue of US retail giant Walmart allegedly employing a lobby group to be allowed to operate in India.

Both houses had to be adjourned till noon after the opposition, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party, insisted on suspension of Question Hour to discuss the lobbying issue.

When the houses reconvened, the United Progressive Alliance agreed to an inquiry into the matter, though both Walmart and the government have strongly denied the bribery allegations.

Speaking in the Rajya Sabha first and later in the Lok Sabha, parliamentary affairs minister Kamal Nath said in an identical statement that ''the government views this with as much concern as the opposition and has no hesitation in having an inquiry''.

''We want to get to the fact of this matter. It is a matter of concern for the government as well. We (the government) would make a further announcement during the course of the day,'' Kamal Nath said.

The minister made the statement in Lok Sabha amid continued uproar by opposition benches, with Yashwant Sinha of the BJP demanding a judicial inquiry into the matter. The inquiry report should come within 60 days and expose those who received bribes paid by Walmart, Sinha said heatedly.