The Rajya Sabha on Friday witnessed vociferous protest by the BSP, the Congress and the Samajwadi Party over Minister of State for External Affairs VK Singh’s alleged anti-Dalit remarks and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s reported comments on Ram temple in Ayodhya. As members from all these parties raised slogans and trooped into the Well, proceedings were repeatedly adjourned with the House failing to transact any business during Zero Hour and Question Hour in pre-lunch session.
As Treasury and Opposition benches engaged in a slanging and slogan shouting match against each other and leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad demanding Singh’s removal from the cabinet and dismissal from Parliament, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said Singh had repeatedly clarified that he had never made any derogatory remarks against Dalits. Naqvi charged the Opposition with trying to settle political score by raking up this issue time and again.
On Bhagwat’s comments about resolve to build Ram temple in Ayodhya, Naqvi said the Government respected the Supreme Court where the case is pending. However, the commitment to build a temple cannot be questioned and people have fundamental right to reiterate it, the Minister said. However, construction of temple would be according to the apex court’s decision, he added.
Naqvi’s comments came after BSP supermo Mayawati made her party’s intentions clear to forcefully raise Singh issue as soon as the House met for the day. She said social and communal tension was rising in the country since the NDA Government came to power and no action was taken against some Ministers including Singh who reportedly made derogatory remarks against Dalits and minorities.
As Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien asked her to give a proper notice for raising the issue, BSP members stormed into the well raising slogans against Singh and the Government. Unable to restore order, the Chair then suspended the proceedings for 15 minutes at 11.15 am.
Similar scenes were seen again when the House met again with BSP members creating a ruckus and SP members also rushing into the well after its leader Ram Gopal Yadav demanded suspension of business to discuss rising communal tension after Bhagwat’s reportedly controversial remarks about Ram temple. He also alleged the Government was covertly backing the RSS and demanded action against Bhagwat. Kurien adjourned the House again for nearly 20 minutes till 12.00 pm.
Question Hour was also a complete wash out with the Congress backing the BSP on the Singh issue. Terming the matter as serious, Azad said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should take action and Singh should be removed from the Cabinet and Parliament as a MP for insulting Dalit.
Azad recalled the House had invoked the Constitution and recommitted itself for providing justice to dalits, poor and oppressed, but lamented that merely passing resolutions in this regard were not enough.
Congress members then came into the well and raised slogans forcing Chairman Hamid Ansari to adjourn proceedings till one pm at 12.05 pm. He again adjourned the House till 2.30 pm soon after Health Minister JP Nadda read out a statement correcting a previous reply in the House even as Opposition members continued to raise a din.