Amid the high-voltagte drama witnessed in the Assembly over the Muzaffarnagar sting operation on Friday, Parliamentary Affairs minister Azam Khan offered to resign if any member of the House had doubts over his integrity. Even as Khan made the emotional remark, the BJP and BSP members engaged in sloganeering.
Speaker Mata Prasad however rejected Khan’s resignation offer saying that it was not required. He fixed the hearing of the case on March 4, as the news channel that had aired the sting operation had sought some time.
The Muzaffarnagar sting operation issue was taken up by the Speaker just after the Question Hour. He said that the news channel had written to him seeking further date and asked for the report. Principal Secretary (Assembly) Pradeep Kumar Dubey read out the letter sent by the channel. Earlier, the channel was asked to present before the House on Friday.
leader of Opposition and BSP member, Swami Prasad Maurya along with Congress and RlD members said that the channel should be given a last chance. “Nnatural justice demands that the accused party be given a chance to present its case. The court too gives a date if the accused party pleads for,” he said.
“The report on the Muzaffarnagar sting operation was tabled on the House on February 16 and today being February 26 the said channel had enough time to prepare its case. But since the channel has asked for a date, the House should give another date,” Maurya said.
Other leaders of the House, except from the BJP, gave their assent to this. However, BJP leader Suresh Kumar Khanna refused to join saying they were not part of this probe.
The House was stunned when the Parliamentary Affairs minister, who was the target of the sting, offered to resign if any member of the House had doubts about his integrity. Saying so he pulled out an envelop from his pocket and placed it on the table.
Without taking names, Khan said that a political party was now raking up the issue of nationalism but when it came to putting its nationality to test, it conveniently backtracks. “ Is this not a national issue when through a fake sting operation a news channel tried to malign image of a politician,” he said.
The statement of Khan changed the scenario of the House and the leader of Opposition, Swami Prasad Maurya questioned the role of BJP in the whole epidode. He even said that by remaining aloof from the issue, it seems that the sting was done on the directives of the BJP.
Irked by Maujrya’s statement, BJP legislature Party leader Suresh Khanna demanded that these charges be withdrawn immediately. Other members of the party trooped in to the Well shouting slogans “Sapa, Baspa Congress I, chor chor mausserey bhai”
The BSP members countered it with anti-BJP slogans. As the members came face to face, the Speaker delared that the next hearing in this case will be held at 12.30 pm on March 4.
Earlier on February 23, the Assembly had adopted a unanimous resolution for summoning journalists of two TV channels to appear before it on February 26 to give their version about the sting aired on September 17, 2013 indicting Azam Khan for instigating communal riots.
The Assembly had constituted a joint committee of the House to probe the authenticity of the sting. The committee headed by Satish Kumar Nigam of SP found journalists of two TV channels guilty.