After Mulayam, BJD hits out at Congress over disruptions

After the Samajwadi Party (SP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Tuesday also launched a sharp attack on the Congress for repeatedly disrupting the proceedings in the Parliament.

BJD leader in the Lok Sabha Bhratruhari Mahtab likened the disruptions in the House to “manifestation of fascism”, a label Congress would be keen to disown. Though Mahtab did not name the Congress in the Lok Sabha, the obvious reference was not missed out by the members and several members of the ruling alliance associated with the views expressed by him.

“In the last century, the world saw a streak of fascism and what we are witnessing in this session are attempts at manifestation of fascism inside the House; your patience is being put to test,” Mahtab said, lauding the attempts by Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to conduct the House in “turbulent” times.

“Let Mahakal give you the strength to face the challenge,” he said, addressing Mahajan, who represents Indore in the Lok Sabha. In the Rajya Sabha, BJD member Anubhav Mohanty also objected to the disruptions by Congress members. He said the protests had prevented him from raising of issues concerning people of his home state Odisha.

“My rights as a politician are being ignored. I want to raise so many issues but I am unable to,” he said. “I have the right to speak,” Mohanty shouted at the Congress members who were raising slogans in the Well.

The BJD and AIADMK did not join other opposition parties in boycotting the Lok Sabha to protest the suspension of 25 Congress members by the Speaker last week. On Monday, SP supremo and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav hit out at the Congress for continuing the protests over ‘Lalitgate’ and Vyapam issues since the monsoon session began on July 21. The Speaker had made known her anguish at the repeated disruptions and dubbed them as the “murder of democracy”.