The demand for sacking of Union Minister Ajay Mishra rocked Lok Sabha on Wednesday with the Opposition parties virtually stalling the proceedings throughout the day even as former Congress president Rahul Gandhi said that the Lakhimpur Kheri killings were not a random event but a conspiracy and would fight till the minister is in jail.
Several Opposition MPs, including Rahul, submitted adjournment notices in Lok Sabha to discuss the Lakhimpur Kheri incident -- in which eight persons, including four farmers and a journalist, were killed. The Special Investigation Team has slapped stringent charges against the Minister of State for Home Mishra's son, who was arrested in connection with the case.
Speaker Om Birla continued with Question Hour, ignoring the demands, saying, "I always give adequate time to members to raise issues. You (protesting members) are disrupting the Question Hour. It is not a good tradition and does not respect the dignity of the House. You don't want to have discussions." However, he adjourned the House at 11:30 am and when it re-assembled, similar scenes continued following which the House was adjourned for the day.
In Rajya Sabha, the notice by Trinamool Congress' Sushmita Dev on the Lakhimpur incident was disallowed by Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu.
Outside the House, Rahul told reporters that the government was not allowing the MPs to speak and that was the reason for disruption in Lok Sabha. "The SIT report has come and the Minister is involved...They don't want discussion. The SIT report shows that it is not a random event but a conspiracy. It is very clear who conspired and how it was done. We want the Minister's resignation and the government is not willing," he said.
Also read: BJP rejects Opposition demand for Ajay Mishra's resignation, says Lakhimpur Kheri issue sub-judice
Asked whether he is confident that the government would accede to the Opposition's demand, he said they will put pressure and when they put pressure, the Minister will have to resign.
"It is said the Minister is involved. The Prime Minister knows it but says nothing. On one hand, the Prime Minister apologises to farmers and on other hand, he does not give them compensation and keeps killers in his Council of Ministers," he alleged.
"We had said that the farm laws will be repealed. Didn't it happen? Same way, in the end, the Minister will have to resign. We will not leave it till he is in jail. Even if it takes five years, ten years, 15 years, we will not leave it," Rahul said.
Referring to Leader of House in Rajya Sabha Piyush Goyal's assertion that the matter cannot be discussed as it is sub-judice, he said he did not understand the logic as Parliament can discuss any issue.
Watch latest videos by DH here: