The Hindu : National : Turmoil in House over yatra plan

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Tuesday, Mar 14, 2006

National

National

Turmoil in House over yatra plan

Special Correspondent

BJP has no right to divide the country, says Basudeb Acharia

NEW DELHI: The Lok Sabha on Monday witnessed turmoil after Communist Party of India (Marxist) members criticised the move of Bharatiya Janata Party leader L.K. Advani to take out a yatra.

Describing the proposed yatra as "diabolic," Basudeb Acharia of the CPI (M) said a similar yatra by Mr. Advani in 1990 had created a communal frenzy and there were riots in a number of places.

Expressing apprehension that a similar situation may arise again, Mr. Acharia said the BJP had no right to divide the country and urged the Government to intervene. The BJP members were quick to retort with some stating that it was a party programme. Led by Vijay Kumar Malhotra, they raised the pitch leading to turmoil.

Attacks against mission

Even as Speaker Somnath Chatterjee restored peace, there was a flare-up again when Suresh Kurup (CPI-M) raised the issue of attacks against a mission. He said a five-member delegation of party MPs had visited Kota where State BJP leaders were subjecting the Emmanuel Mission to harassment.

BJP MPs, especially from Rajasthan, were up on their feet and said the CPI (M) MPs were defending a Mission, which had published a controversial book, Haqeeqat. They also charged that the CPI (M) move was with an eye on the Kerala elections. Mr. Kurup said the party was not justifying what had appeared in the book and that action should be taken if it contained anything unlawful. The BJP, he said, was using the book as an excuse to attack the Mission.

While nothing much could be heard in the din, the Speaker took objection to the behaviour of some BJP MPs and cautioned them not to wave copies of a newspaper or the book in the House. He also said it was unfortunate the way members were behaving and "deliberately defying the chair."

(Later at a press conference, Mr. Kurup said the Mission runs 49 schools across Rajasthan and an orphanage that has 2,800 inmates. The State Government, he said, had sealed the bank accounts and Sangh Parivar elements have threatened the domestic gas supplier against providing gas cylinders to the orphanage. Later, the Left MPs met Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil seeking his intervention).

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