Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was on Saturday heckled at a conference in the national capital by a man protesting against the recent diesel price hike.
The Prime Minister was to address an international academic conference on economic growth and changes of corporate environment in Asia.
Just before the Prime Minister rose to deliver his inaugural address in the main hall of the Vigyan Bhavan, lawyer Santosh Kumar Suman (32), a member of the Supreme Court Bar Association, stood on the desk, took off his shirt and shouted, "Prime Minister, go back. Roll back diesel prices."
The protestor was later taken away by the security personnel present in the hall.
A senior police official said Suman, who resides in east Delhi's Shakarpur, gained entry to the venue using a "proper" invitation card.
"The Special Protection Group (SPG) handed him over to us. He is under detention. We are investigating claims that he is a member of political party RJD," the official said.
Despite the disruption, the Prime Minister continued with his address at 'Conference on Economic Growth in Asia and Changes of Corporate Environment'. He made a pitch for inclusive, faster and sustainable development, promising to overhaul the existing corporate commercial laws to facilitate the growth of the private sector.
He said that soon the government would bring a new 'Companies Bill' before Parliament to address the present day needs of the corporate world.
In his inaugural address, the Prime Minister pointed to the great strides being made by Asian economies, pointing out that by 2050 Asian countries would have more than 50 percent share in the world economy, which at present stood at 27 percent.
(With Agency inputs)
First Published: Saturday, September 22, 2012, 11:47