References made to the Emergency imposed in 1975 by the then prime minister Indira Gandhi by Deputy Prime Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani raised a furore in the Lok sabha.

The complete coverage of no-confidence motion debate

Advani's statement that the Congress party which imposed Emergency and put hundreds of leaders cutting across party line into jails should not give his government lessons in democracy, led to Sonia Gandhi rising and shouting that these leaders in jails had written a letter to Indira Gandhi requesting that they be released.

At this point, former prime minister Chandra Shekhar rose and said that this is serious allegation made by the leader of the opposition and she must table the letter in the House.

BJP leader V K Malhotra tried to raise a point of order at this stage. He wanted to know that when Sonia Gandhi was not even a national of the country during the Emergency, how come she was in possession of this letter.

He demanded that she table the letter in the House, a demand reiterated by Advani when he resumed speaking.