It’s 20 years down the line, but Lok Sabha on Thursday lost a day’s work on the Babri masjid demolition anniversary as supporters and opponents of the Ayodhya movement clashed in the well of the House.
Still smarting under the dig Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj took at BSP chief Mayawati for indirectly bailing out the UPA government on the FDI-in-retail vote with the party’s walkout in Lok Sabha, the BSP seemed intent on taking on the BJP and its saffron ally Shiv Sena (SS). BSP member Shafiqur Rahman Burq showed a black flag to protest the 1992 demolition of the masjid, when the House assembled, provoking angry reactions from BJP and SS members. Burq’s action led to two adjournments. The House was finally adjourned for the day at 2 pm.
BJP and Shiv Sena MPs too repeatedly stormed the well and demanded action against Burq. He was ticked off by LS Speaker Meira Kumar, who said his action could be deemed an insult to the House. The BJP-SS MPs faced competition from Burq and MIM’s Asaduddin Owaisi—who incidentally was missing from the House during the FDI debate but resurfaced on Thursday—as they all trooped to the well to force an adjournment.
A number of other members, including CPM leader Basudeb Acharya, demanded action against those indicted by the Liberhan Commission which probed the demolition of the mosque.