New Delhi, April 16
For the second day running both the Houses of Parliament were in a turmoil over the Narendra Modi issue with an agitated Opposition stalling proceedings demanding ouster of the Gujarat Chief Minister and ruling BJP members seeking an apology from Mrs Sonia Gandhi for her remarks against Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.
No business could be transacted in both the Houses as a determined Opposition was not willing to relent on their demand for ouster of Mr Modi and also for an adjournment motion in the Lok Sabha under Rule 184 which provides for voting.
Amid pandemonium, while the Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day within minutes, the Lok Sabha was first adjourned for an hour and later for the day.
As the Lok Sabha met after the first hour-long adjournment, the House witnessed uproarious scenes with Congress members storming the well in protest against BJP’s insistence on apology from the Leader of the Opposition, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, who had stated at Guwahati that Mr Vajpayee had “lost his mental balance”.
In the Rajya Sabha, the newly-elected member and RJD leader Laloo Prasad Yadav was in the forefront demanding not only ouster of Mr Modi but his prosecution for what he had done in Gujarat.
Opposition members also demanded a discussion on communal violence in Gujarat followed by voting. TDP members were also seen joining the Opposition on the issue.
Chairman Krishan Kant was firm that the question hour could not be suspended and as the protests continued, he adjourned the House for the day.
Soon after Mr Sayeed read out a statement in the Lok Sabha on the violence in Sabarmati Ashram, BJP members came near the well and raised slogans “Sonia Gandhi, maafi mango” (Sonia Gandhi apologise).
Meanwhile, The Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, said today that the disruption of Parliamentary proceedings by the Opposition on the Gujarat issue was a “challenge” to the ruling NDA and asked all MPs of the ruling coalition to face it
together.
Addressing the BJP Parliamentary party meeting here, the Prime Minister talked about the Opposition not being interested in a test of strength, but in creating confusion and vitiating the atmosphere.
Briefing reporters about the BJP Parliamentary party meeting, the party spokesman Mr V.K. Malhotra, said the meeting welcomed and endorsed the BJP National Executive’s resolution on Gujarat, including continuance of the Chief Minister, Mr Narendra Modi.
The Parliamentary party passed a resolution demanding an apology from the Congress President, Ms Sonia Gandhi for her remarks that Mr Vajpayee has lost his mental balance. It also asked the Congress to take action against the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee President, Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad, for demanding Mr Vajpayee’s arrest under POTA.
The party opposed any adjournment motion on Gujarat issue or any move to discuss it under Rule 184 which provided for voting, saying that the law and order was a state subject.
Everyone should be satisfied at the speed with which the riots have been controlled in the state. Besides holding peaceful panchayat poll and higher secondary exams, about 6,000 Haj pilgrims also returned home safely, Mr Malhotra said.
Meanwhile, the BJP said today that the main Opposition under the leadership of Ms Gandhi was “behaving like the Muslim League and condemning the majority community all the time.’’
Taking exception to the dharna staged by Ms Gandhi along with senior party leaders and MPs at Raj Ghat today for demanding the ouster of Mr Modi, the BJP spokesman told reporters that, “She did not observe any fast on the Godhra incident, over the killing of 61,000 people in Pakistan’s proxy war or on the migration of 3.5 lakh Kashmiri Pandits from the valley.”
