M A I N   N E W S

Ruckus in LS over farmers’ plight
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Nov 21—In what appeared to be a game of oneupmanship, the members of the Congress and the Samajwadi Party today vied with each other to raise the issue of the plight of farmers in the country and ended up forcing three adjournments of the Lok Sabha.

Barring the laying of some papers and a statement by the Petroleum Minister, Mr Ram Naik, on the rollback in the prices of kerosene and cooking gas, the House could take up no other business.

Adjourning the House for the third and final time, the Speaker deprecated the behaviour of the Opposition members and pointed out that he was prepared to allow any kind of debate on the issue, including an adjournment motion.

The members of the Samajwadi Party and the Congress were virtually jostling each other in the well of the House and drowned the Speaker’s voice in the din.

The Opposition assault began soon after the House assembled and Samajwadi Party members stormed into the well of the House to raise the farmers’ issue.

From the Congress side, Ms Sonia Gandhi, fresh from her victory as President of the party, stood up to raise the issue but was prevented by the SP members. Several Congress members, including Margaret Alva, Rama Pilot and Sona Ram Chaudhary also moved to the well to demand that their leader be allowed to speak first.

Congress chief whip P.R.Dasmunshi was seen persuading SP members to return to their seats, pointing out that the Leader of the Opposition was planning to raise the issue.

Though the Congress had made it clear in advance that its MPs would be moving an adjournment motion on the plight of farmers, the SP members were in no mood to relent. The Speaker then adjourned the House till noon.

When the House reassembled, it was a repeat of the morning scene with Congress members accusing SP members of deliberately preventing Ms Gandhi from speaking.

Efforts by the Speaker, Mr G.M.C.Balayogi, to restore normalcy in the House proved futile as neither side was willing to listen. The Speaker then adjourned the House till 4.p.m.

Left party members had a totally different agenda when they trooped to the well protesting against government’s decision to reduce its equity in nationalised banks.

The Lok Sabha will take up tomorrow afternoon an adjournment motion on farmers problems.

The discussion will be initiated by Ms Gandhi at 2 pm, Lok Sabha sources said after a meeting of the Business Advisory committee (BAC) this afternoon.

The sources said fresh notices would have to be given tomorrow as those submitted today would not be valid.

The tdp, which had given notice for a calling attention motion on the issue, has demanded more time for a “free and frank” discussion on it.

Later, Ms Sonia Gandhisaid that she was not allowed to speak on the problems faced by farmers in the Lok Sabha.

Talking to mediapersons, she said that farmers’ problem were of extreme gravity for which she had moved an adjournment motion. "We wanted time to discuss the issue which affects 700 million people of the country," Ms Gandhi said. Without naming Samajwadi Party, whose members blocked the Congress president from raising the issue, she said that she was not allowed to speak. Ms Gandhi said that farmers were the backbone of the country and there were reports of suicides by them from different parts of the country.

Regretting that Ms Gandhi was not allowed to focus on farmers’ problems ,a Congress leader, Ms Margret Alva, asserted that the party was going to carry on the ``battle for farmers’’ both inside and outside the Lok Sabha.