JOIN USHouse adjourned over 'atrocities'
In the Lok Sabha, leader of opposition Sushma Swaraj demanded sacking of Union Home Minister P Chidambaram for unleashing police atrocities on BJP youth wing workers, agitating in the national Capital against the alleged corruption in the UPA at the Centre.
The BJP MPs protested against police lathi-charge on the agitating party activists near Jantar Mantar, in Delhi, while the Shiv Sena and Samajwadi Party created ruckus over the issue of police firing on agitating farmers in Pune. The members sought Chidambaram’s resignation over the alleged police atrocities.
The police lathi-charge on the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) activists in Delhi on Tuesday reportedly left about 40 party activists injured. The BJYM activists were trying to march towards Parliament, protesting against alleged corruption by the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government and demanding resignation of Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit in the wake of the Comptroller and Auditor General’s report on Commonwealth Games scam.
On the same day, two men and a woman were killed when police opened fire on a group of agitating farmers in Pune. The farmers were protesting against a water diversion project.
Both the incidents added fresh munitions to the already combative BJP and other opposition parties to launch an all out attack against the UPA government, in Parliament. In the Lok Sabha, after the House assembled at 11 am, Speaker Meira Kumar made an obituary reference on former MP Shantilal Purushottam Das Patel, who passed away last month. But as soon as she started the Question Hour, the BJP, Shiv Sena and SP MPs trooped into the well of the House – demanding resignation of the Home Minister and dismissal of the Congress - led governments in Maharashtra and Delhi for the alleged police ‘atrocities’.
The House was first adjourned till noon and then, as pandemonium continued, again till 2-00 pm. The opposition MPs, however, continued the ruckus even after the House met after lunch, leading to the adjournment for the rest of the day.
The Rajya Sabha also witnessed similar pandemonium and was adjourned twice, first till noon, and then for the day. Meanwhile,Congress spokesperson Rashid Alvi charged that BJP continued to stall the Parliament proceedings as it did not want it to function. “It seems, BJP is losing its faith in democracy and Parliament,” he said. On the issue of the BJP’s demand for Delhi Chief Minister’s resignation, he said no action could be taken against Sheila Dikshit, merely on the basis of the CAG report.
CAG report
The CAG reports were tabled during NDA regime also. Had resignations been sought on the basis of the CAG report, not a single minister in NDA government would have retained their position in the government (if the CAG report was followed), he added.
The Congress spokesman also crticised BJP for dragging Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi into the CWG mess, saying, “they are raising such issues when she is undergoing treatment abroad”.
Neither the prime minister nor Sonia Gandhi had to do anything with the CWG case, he said adding, “even Sheila Dikshit has not been indicted in the CAG report”.