Treasury benches led by Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Suresh Pachauri forced Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari to adjourn for the day because former defence minister George Fernandes [Images] in an interview had accused Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh [Images] of betraying the country by signing the 123 Agreement with the United States.

Fernandes is quoted in the Indian Express as saying that if the same deal had been made in China, the prime minister could have been shot. He also spoke of the Americans making the prime minister a monkey dancing to their tunes on the 60th anniversary of India's Independence.

The treasury benches demanded unconditional apology from Fernandes and demanded that he withdraw his statement. The issue was also raised by the Parliamentary Affair Minster Priyaranjan Das Munshi in the Lok Sabha and said that the whole house should condemn the statement.