NEW DELHI: The row over Congress MP DK Suresh’s remarks on a “separate nation” snowballed into a political slugfest on Friday, with the BJP demanding a probe into the matter by Lok Sabha Ethics Committee.
Raising the issue during the Zero Hour in Lok Sabha, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi requested Speaker Om Birla that the case should be referred to the Ethics Committee. He also demanded an apology from Congress leader Sonia Gandhi over Suresh’s remarks.
Later, speaking to this paper, Joshi said that though the comment was made outside the House, it needs to be treated seriously as it is against the Constitution. “I have requested the Lok Sabha Speaker to refer it to the Ethics Committee as the MP remarked about dividing the country. It was an insult to the Constitution and its architect Babasaheb Ambedkar. Will wait for the Speaker’s response,” he said.
Suresh, an MP from Bangalore Rural, had on Thursday, while commenting on the interim budget, said that injustice was meted out to southern states while allocating the share of tax collection. “Our tax money is being distributed in north India. If we don’t condemn it, there might arise a situation where we will have to demand a separate nation,” he had said.
In a rebuttal to Joshi’s comments, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said that the Joshi has raised an issue that has nothing to do with the House.
“What the minister did was unparliamentary on two grounds. First, he raised an issue that has nothing to do with the House. It was not a statement made in the House. Secondly, he did so based on media reports that were not verified. Neither of those are admissible in the House... Why was the minister allowed to misuse the time of the House in this manner?” Tharoor said.
Members of the opposition INDIA bloc, including the Congress and the DMK, later walked out for a brief while.
Tharoor’s rebuttal
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said that Joshi has raised an issue that has nothing to do with the House. “It was not a statement made in the House. Secondly, he did so based on media reports that were not verified,” Tharoor asked.