Man strips, raises slogans as PM addresses meet on economic growth

New Delhi: A man took off his shirt, climbed onto a desk in front of him and chanted slogans against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as he took to the stage to address a conference on economic growth organised by the Indian Law Institute at Vigyan Bhawan in the capital on Saturday.

The man, identified as Santosh Kumar, a lawyer registered with the Supreme Court Bar Association, shouted, "PM vapas jao(PM, go back)."

The security staff immediately moved in and whisked him away.

Addressing the gathering, the PM said that India must strive to build a climate that invites investment. "It is our responsibility to maintain transparency in our process to maintain the faith of investors," he said, adding, "Morality is an intrinsic part of our development process. India was fortunate to have Mahatma Gandhi who gave us the guidance ofsatyagraha."

"Good governance is seen as good economics. We should allow the private sector to grow. We need to empower the disadvantaged section of the society," the PM said.

Speaking about upcoming bills in Parliament, PM Manmohan Singh said, "We will soon bring the new Companies Bill. Many commercial and corporate laws are being transformed. The government has a clear vision of transforming the agricultural economy into a manufacturing economy with an impressive base."

Continuing, the PM said that the balance between the legislature, the administration and the judiciary in the country did appear to be unsettled at times but that it had stood the test of time.

Chief Justice of India SH Kapadia, who was present at the meet, said ahead of the PM's address that the government had a few difficult choices to make. He added, "Laws should be not only to protect the foreign investors but also our consumers and the farmers. This should be kept in mind when formulating the laws. We should avoid Americanisation of laws in India."

Meanwhile, Kumar was interrogated by the Special Protection Group (SPG) and then handed over to the Delhi Police. He is presently being held in detention at the Tughlak Road Police Station. The PM reportedly asked the SPG not to harass him.

SPG sources said that the protestor had a valid invitation card and an ID card that showed his association with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).