With pandemonium in the Lok Sabha worsening on Tuesday, a furious Speaker Sumitra Mahajan termed the Opposition’s agitation as the “murder of democracy”.
With pandemonium in the Lok Sabha worsening on Tuesday, a furious Speaker Sumitra Mahajan termed the Opposition’s agitation as the “murder of democracy”. The Congress members were joined by those from the Janata Parivar outfits in the Well of the House. Later in the day, a few Congress MPs tore papers and threw them at deputy speaker M. Thambi Durai.
“Ye prajatantra ki hatya hai... ye prajatantra nahi hai... desh dekh le ki kaise irresponsible saansad hain (This is murder of democracy. This is not democracy. Let the country see what irresponsible MPs we have),” Ms Mahajan said. At one point, she angrily shouted at Mr Hooda not to put his hand on the table of the Speaker.
While the Congress MPs held placards about the Vyapam scam, Samajwadi Party, RJD and JD(U) MPs were in the Well demanding the release of the caste census data. The Speaker repeatedly told the Congress MPs that “just 40 MPs cannot deny the rights of 400 other MPs”. A few Congress MPs, including Mr Deependra Singh Hooda, sought to shout slogans from close to the Speaker’s mike and engaged in arguments with Ms Mahajan. The Congress MPs were heard pleading with the Speaker to adjourn the House.
Meanwhile, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) joined ranks with the BJP to denounce the Congress for not letting Parliament function. The leader of the BJD in the Lok Sabha, Bhartruhari Mahtab, remarked that the “last century had seen a streak of Fascism... Now what is being seen is the manifestation of Fascism inside the House.” He prayed, “Let Lord Mahakaleshwar give her the strength to face the challenge. I knew that the Monsoon Session was starting in bad weather but had not realised that it would be of such magnitude that it would engulf the entire session.” BJD MP Pinaki Mishra, while asking a question during Question Hour, attacked the Congress and claimed that the previous environment minister, in the UPA government, ran her office from Chennai and denied the rights of the state to the tune of Rs 35,000 crore. Responding to him, Union minister Prakash Javdekar claimed that under the UPA government the environment ministry denied sanction to developmental works under the instructions of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi.
With the Lok Sabha coming close to taking up a discussion on the issue of sustainable development goals, the Congress MPs intensified the agitation as the next agenda was a discussion of the IPL issue. At one point, water resources minister Uma Bharti, BJP MPs Jagdambika Pal and Ms Kirron Kher and others too came to the Well to protest against the unruly behaviour of Congress MPs.
Before adjourning the House for the day, Ms Mahajan remarked: “I am extremely sad over the way you (Congress members) behaved with the Chair. The way the papers were thrown at the deputy speaker cannot be pardoned. This is not the way. Is it a way I am warning you.”
