Other States - Punjab   

Akalis object to inclusion of Bhagat in obituary reference

Staff Correspondent

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab Assembly witnessed a record of sorts when the main opposition party, Shiromani Akali Dal, dissented with an obituary reference being made to senior Congress leader and former Union Minister H.K.L. Bhagat. BJP leaders and Independent groups skipped any mention while speaking on the resolution.

While the resolution for condolences was moved by the Deputy Chief Minister, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, the Leader of the Opposition, Parkash Singh Badal, skipped any mention about Mr. Bhagat. Before he wound up his speech, Mr. Badal said that on his behalf of his party he would register a note of dissent about passing any obituary reference for Mr. Bhagat whom he accused of employing a conspiracy to massacre Sikhs in November 1984. When Mrs Bhattal argued that Mr Badal's comments be expunged, the Akali members exhibited some agitation. However, Mr. Badal said that as he had represented the dominant Sikh sentiment, his comments be retained as part of the record.

Meanwhile, an awkward situation arose, when the Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Jagjit Singh, said that Mr. Badal should be prevented from referring to those who were not present in the House to defend themselves. While the Speaker, Kewal Krishan, did not give any ruling on the matter, he expressed his reservations that a solemn matter like obituary references had been politicised in the House.

Earlier, the House was rather unanimous in paying glowing tributes to the former President, K.R. Narayanan, who became the first Dalit to reach the coveted position through real hard work and dedication. Speakers recalled the achievements of P.M. Sayeed as Union Minister.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Chandigarh project to promote ecological sustainability
Akalis object to inclusion of Bhagat in obituary reference

Copyright © 2006, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu