Amidst unruly scenes during the zero hour, the Opposition members maintained that Bhagwat had made serious allegations of a nexus between arms dealers and services personnel as also against Defence Minister George Fernandes and demanded a probe by a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) into them.

Responding to members' concern, Home Minister L K Advani said defence matters were not generally raised in the House as they should remain "apolitical" and urged Speaker G M C Balayogi to decide the way they should be discussed.

At the end of nearly an hour-long heated impromptu discussion, Balayogi said he would consult group leaders before giving his ruling on notices from the Opposition leaders. A discussion under Rule 184 (censure) would also entailvoting in the House.

Raising the issue, Indrajit Gupta (CPI) and Kamal Nath (Congress) said it was strange that more than two months had lapsed since Bhagwat was sacked and the Centre had not cared to take the House into confidence on a "sensitive" matter. Seeking reasons for the action, they demanded a comprehensive discussion on the issue which was agitating the whole country.

Observing that the nation had been witnessing a "sordid drama" for more than two months, Kamal Nath said he was not questioning the sacking per se or the civilian supremacy but felt the whole matter reeked of corruption and involvement of a compliant bureaucracy.

Attacking both Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Fernandes for keeping the House in the dark, CPI-M leader Somnath Chatterjee said conflicting versions had been appearing in newspapers on the issue since both had made serious charges that Bhagwat was a security risk.

"The House has been kept totally in the dark as to what are the real reasons for his dismissal,"Chatterjee said adding "Parliament will be failing in its duty if it does not discuss the matter." He also referred to allegations by Bhagwat of communal bias and promotion being given to an erring officer.

Former prime minister H D Deve Gowda challenged the Centre to prove that Bhagwat was a security risk. He said he had appointed Bhagwat as the Naval chief and had never got any negative report about him from intelligence agencies like Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) or Intelligence Bureau (IB).

"I owe an apology to the nation for having appointed Bhagwat if allegations of his being a security risk are proved," Gowda declared.

BJP member Chetan Chauhan said in the last fifty years, sacking of armed forces personnel had never been discussed in the House. "And if such sensitive matters are raised on the floor of Parliament, no Government will be able to function," he said adding that if the Bhagwat issue was discussed, then all other cases of sacking should also be taken up.

Mohan Singh (SamajwadiParty) said while the Centre had briefed Rajya Sabha leaders on the dismissal issue, it had chosen not to confide in leaders of the Lower House. "All facts should be placed before the House," he asserted.

BJP member B C Khanduri said the Opposition was trying to take political mileage out of the issue and cautioned that while adopting the methodology for the discussion, the House should keep in mind that the sanctity and the atmosphere in the armed forces were not vitiated.

Balayogi referred to pending public interest litigations challenging Bhagwat's dismissal in Delhi and Mumbai High Court and said their status had to be ascertained.

The Speaker said notices received by him under various provisions were under consideration and he would give his ruling after consulting political party leaders.