NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party legislators were expelled for three days from the Delhi Assembly after a condolence session in memory of the victims of the Varanasi blasts was turned into a war of words between the ruling Congress and the Opposition party on Wednesday. While the BJP tried to give a communal colour to the situation, the Congress too was not behind to capitalise on the tragedy.

As soon as the House assembled for the day, Leader of the Opposition Jagdish Mukhi urged the Speaker, Chaudhary Prem Singh, to adjourn the House for the day in memory of the blast victims. He pleaded that when such tragic incidents had happened in the past the House was adjourned. Dr. Harsh Vardhan and party chief whip Sahib Singh Chauhan supported him. However, the Speaker said he was moving a condolence resolution to condemn such incidents and urge people to stand united in this hour.

The BJP members, however, insisted on adjournment of the House. Mukesh Sharma (Congress) intervened and charged that the BJP was trying to give a communal colour to the situation by declaring that nobody should celebrate Holi and urged the Speaker to intervene. This infuriated the Opposition members who accused the Congress of trying to appease the minorities. Mr. Prem Singh said that no adjournment had taken place in the past on such issues. He stated that the House should observe two-minute silence to express its solidarity with the families of those bereaved and injured.

Soon after the two-minute silence, the Opposition was again on its feet demanding that the House be adjourned.

The Speaker refused to relent and said it would be wrong to set such a precedent. The Urban Development Minister, A. K. Walia, then moved a resolution for expulsion of the BJP members for three days. The House unanimously adopted the resolution and the BJP members were lifted out of the House by the marshals for the fourth consecutive day.

However, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit urged the Speaker to adjourn the House for Question Hour in memory of the blast victims. The Speaker immediately agreed to the request and adjourned the House till 3 p.m. What should have been a tribute to those killed in the blasts turned into an occasion for scoring brownie points.

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