Sambhal violence: Opposition stages brief walkout in Lok Sabha; Akhilesh alleges conspiracy by UP govt
NEW DELHI: Almost the entire opposition in the Lok Sabha, including Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, walked out briefly from the House on Tuesday over the recent violence in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal.
As soon as the House assembled to take up the Question Hour, Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav stood up and raised the issue, seeking Speaker Om Birla's permission to speak on the subject.
"This is a very serious matter. Five people have lost their lives," Yadav said.
The Samajwadi Party leader claimed that the violence in Sambhal was well-planned and aimed at disturbing communal harmony in a place that has long been a symbol of brotherhood.
He also claimed that the court-ordered survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid could hurt the 'Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb' of the country.
"The BJP and its allies have been talking about digging and their repeated talks of digging (the area) will hurt the Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb of the country," Yadav said.
He alleged the Sambhal administration acted in haste and demanded suspension of the officers concerned and filing of a case against them.
"This government doesn't respect the Constitution," the SP leader charged.
The speaker said members could raise the issue in the Zero Hour, prompting Yadav and his party colleagues to start walking out in protest.
Some SP members, however, rushed to the Well, raising slogans.
While the SP members were protesting in the Well, DMK member A Raja was seen exhorting other opposition members, including those from the Congress, to rise from their seats and join the protest.
NCP and Shiv Sena-UBT members stood up in support of the SP MPs.
Some of the Congress members were also on their feet and Gandhi came to the aisle in support of the protest.
While the protest was on, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju reached out to Yadav to discuss the issue.
After some time, Yadav was seen gesturing his party's MPs to leave. Opposition members, including Gandhi, were among those who walked out. The MPs then returned to participate in the ongoing Question Hour.
At the end of the Question Hour, some opposition members staged a walkout again over Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's reply on minimum support price (MSP) in response to a question on the PM-Kisan scheme.
