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Will Parliament speak in one voice on terror?

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: Backroom efforts are on to ensure that the Lok Sabha speaks in one strong voice against terrorism when the issue is taken up for discussion at noon on Thursday.

At a meeting of party leaders convened by Speaker Somnath Chatterjee just before the House was convened on Wednesday, the general political mood was that through Parliament the nation should speak in one voice on terror. When some suggested a statement be made on the Mumbai and other terror attacks by the government, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi apparently immediately agreed.

That statement – or a consensus resolution approved beforehand by all parties – would be discussed in the Lok Sabha, which is then expected to adopt that resolution unanimously. It is learnt that Leader of the House Pranab Mukherjee and Leader of Opposition L.K. Advani have been in touch with each other on the draft of such a resolution.

It seems that the Speaker took the initiative when he said the country would expect Parliament to voice the nation’s feelings on the terrorist outrage in Mumbai. With the government readily agreeing and the main opposition showing its willingness to go along, the decision was taken that the issue will be taken up immediately after Question Hour.

The political understanding reached, it seems, was that while political parties would, and perhaps should, be critical of the government, the final message from the Lok Sabha should be of national unity.

The Bharatiya Janata Party’s deputy leader in the Lok Sabha, V.K. Malhotra, said this on Wednesday evening: “Nothing final has emerged. We are insisting that the government agree to say in what circumstances the former Home Minister, Shivraj Patil, resigned and there should be a review of the entire events that led to the Mumbai attacks. The carnage in Assam, it was agreed, would also be taken note of. Depending on the outcome of the discussion, the BJP would be willing to go along.”

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