The opposition accused the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) of having a hand in the Nov 11 arrest of the Shankaracharya of the Kanchipuram monastic order on his alleged involvement in the murder of a temple official, A. Sankararaman.

But the treasury benches fended off the attack, with some members objecting to the discussion of the issue in parliament.

When main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) deputy leader of Lok Sabha V.K. Malhotra raised the issue as a "matter of urgent public importance", Speaker Somnath Chatterjee allowed it on grounds that it related to the sentiments of a large section of the people.

The Left as well as the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) opposed the move, but Chatterjee stood his ground.

A noisy exchange ensued with the RJD accusing the BJP of trying to be self-appointed custodians of Hindus by raising the Shankaracharya's arrest.

Malhotra retorted: "The prime minister (Manmohan Singh) wrote to (Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayaram Jayalalitha) asking that the Shankaracharya be well taken care of in custody. He is the leader of the UPA, then why the objection to us raising the issue?"

The law, continued Malhotra, was equal for everyone but there were precedents of VIP prisoners being lodged under special care.

Demanding similar consideration for the pontiff, he gave the example of Mahatma Gandhi, who was incarcerated by the British rulers in a special guesthouse.

Malhotra accused the central government of abetting the arrest. "The Shankaracharya could be questioned within the Kanchi mutt, but he was arrested from a Congress-ruled state (Andhra Pradesh) -- this couldn't have happened without the centre's nod."

To which, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) MP Mohammad Salim said: "The arrest was unfortunate, but it is not a political issue. It is sub-judice. Also the centre cannot interfere in a state matter."

As Congress MPs loudly protested against the allegation, the BJP stepped up its accusations by describing the ruling combine as "Hindu-haters".

A provocative remark by the BJP against Salim, which had to be expunged, caused a furore that persisted for at least half an hour.

RJD's strident MP Raghunath Jha shot back at the BJP: "The murder victim was a Hindu. Your own ally (AIADMK that rules Tamil Nadu) arrested the Shankaracharya.

"The Shankaracharya has become a shame to the Hindu religion. And by protecting him, the BJP has become anti-Hindu."

Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee then intervened, pointing out that the issue was entirely under the purview of the state government.

"The prime minister wrote to the state government on humanitarian consideration," said Mukherjee. "The due process of law should take place and parliament should not intrude into this."

--Indo-Asian News Service