New Delhi: The Congress on Thursday stalled proceedings in the Lok Sabha demanding that a joint parliamentary panel probe the Rafale deal, a day after two former Union ministers had slammed what they called a "textbook case of criminal misconduct".

Congress House leader Mallikarjun Kharge, who raised the issue during zero hour, said national security had been compromised and accused the government of misleading the country on the combat jet deal.

Kharge said the deal was "the biggest scam of the country worth Rs 45,000 crore" and called for setting up a probe committee with MPs from both Houses of Parliament, as he sought to put the issue on the political centre stage.

"The UPA government had fixed a price of Rs 526 crore per Rafale aircraft. The price increased three times during the Narendra Modi government to Rs 1,600 core. This is a matter related to national security and national interest and the government wants to suppress it," Kharge said amid protests by BJP members.

Congress members then trooped into the well of the Lok Sabha with placards, shouting slogans and demanding a response from the Prime Minister, who was not present in the House. The party MPs also demanded that the government disclose the purchase price of a Rafale aircraft.

The Speaker adjourned proceedings for 20 minutes but Congress members resumed their protest when the House reconvened. After some time the House was adjourned again.

On Wednesday, former NDA ministers Arun Shourie and Yashwant Sinha and activist Prashant Bhushan had issued a detailed document raising several questions.

When the House reconvened after lunch and the GST amendment bill taken up, Congress members again stepped into the well shouting slogans. With only about a dozen party MPs protesting, deputy Speaker M. Thambidurai continued with discussions in the din.

Kharge raised the Rafale deal again while speaking on the GST amendment bill, deftly bringing it up in the middle of his speech and taking the treasury benches by surprise.

The Congress leader said the Rafale aircraft were purchased without getting the nod of the cabinet committees on economic affairs and security and alleged a big scam. He demanded a response from finance minister Piyush Goyal, who was sitting in the House.

Realising that Kharge was raising the Rafale issue again, BJP MPs rose in protest saying he was digressing from speaking on the GST bill. The deputy Speaker then cut Kharge short and didn't allow him to speak on the deal. He then called the next speaker.