NEW DELHI: Amid demands for revocation of suspension of six Congress members of Parliament, the government slammed the Opposition party, saying disruption in the House is diversionary tactics to avoid public scrutiny on Bofors revelations.
Ruckus prevailed in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, after the Congress MPs protested against a BJP MP Veerendra Singh alleging party leader Jyotiraditya Scindia of being anti-Dalit. The Congress leader in the House Mallikarjuna Kharge sought the intervention of the Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on the allegation against Scindia. He also demanded that the suspension order against six party MPs be revoked.
“The treasury benches are creating problems in the functioning of the House. Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Ananth Kumar is adding fuel to fire in place of helping bring order in the House. His style of functioning is much in contrast to his predecessor M Venkaiah Naidu,” Kharge said.
Countering the accusations of the Congress leader, Kumar during his brief interruption reiterated that it had been a black day when the unruly MPs from the Opposition party tore papers and threw them towards the Speaker, who is a woman.
“The Congress need not teach us lessons on democracy. We have not yet forgotten the episode of the imposition of Emergency. Since the revelations in the Bofors case, the Congress is attempting diversionary tactics to avoid spotlight from the issue,” said Kumar, while adding that the government has already agreed to discuss all issues.
The Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy, however, called upon the Speaker to “show her kindness and revoke the suspension order against the Congress MPs who in the state of agitation indulged in acts for which they had been punished”.
“Madam, today is the first day of the President Ram Nath Kovind in the office. You should show your kindness to the Congress MPs to allow them to take part in the proceedings of the House,” added Roy.
The Speaker observed that she would look into the demands of the revocation of the suspension order of the Congress MPs.
With the Speaker pushing through the day’s agenda of business, the Congress MPs trooped into the well of the House, forcing the Chair to adjourn for the day.