India's opposition has decided to boycott parliament for the next three days to press the government to fire a key coalition leader charged with embezzling state funds.
Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, was charged Monday with corruption in the long-running fodder scandal. His Rashtriya Janata Dal party has 24 seats in parliament and can destabilize the government by pulling out. Former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee told the chamber, "there should be no member such as Mr. Yadav", if the house is to function smoothly.
People convicted of serious crimes are barred from holding office in India, but hundreds of state and federal politicians who face charges ranging from murder to corruption linger in office because their cases drag on in the courts for years.