On a day the Government bought peace with the Opposition by clarifying Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent Pakistan-related remarks against his predecessor Manmohan Singh, the Opposition disrupted proceedings in both the Houses protesting another controversial comment. This time by Union Minister Anant Kumar Hegde, who questioned the parentage of secularists and claimed that the Modi Government was all set to change the Constitution to drop the “secular” word. The Government distanced itself from the issue saying it did not subscribe to the views expressed by Hegde.
Taking steps to end the week-long deadlock over Modi’s remarks made during the Gujarat Assembly campaign, leader of the House Arun Jaitley said in the Rajya Sabha that the PM in his statements or speeches “did not question the commitment to this nation either by Dr Manmohan Singh, the former Prime Minister, or Hamid Ansari, the former Vice-President”.
“Any such perception is completely erroneous. We hold these leaders in high esteem, as also their commitment to this nation,” Jaitley said. He said many statements had been made on all sides during the elections, and added that the Government “does not want the stalemate as a result of this to continue”.
Responding to Jaitley’s statement, leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said, “I want to thank the leader of the House that he issued a clarification on the issue which was causing the deadlock for the last one week.”
After both the leaders’ statements, the Upper House also passed the Indian Forest (Amendment) Bill, which was adopted by the lok Sabha on December 20.
Azad sought to assure the Government on behalf of the Congress that the party dissociates itself from any statement made against the personality of the Prime Minister, apparently in reference to those made by its MP Mani Shankar Aiyar. The Congress had suspended Aiyar from its primary membership and slapped a showcause notice on him for calling Prime Minister Modi a “neech aadmi” or a lowly person.
“If during the elections (recent Assembly polls in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh), any member of our party gave such a statement that was against the stature of the Prime Minister, then our party dissociates itself from any such statement and we would not want any word to be said against the stature of the Prime Minister,” Azad said.
Reacting to Jaitley’s clarification, Rahul Gandhi tweeted, “Dear Mr Jaitlie - thank you for reminding India that our PM never means what he says or says what he means.”
It was obvious that the both sides had reached an understanding on this issue before start of the proceedings. Aware of that the Congress used Hegde’s controversial remarks to keep the heat on the Government.
In the Rajya Sabha, the Opposition forced two adjournments, protesting Hedge’s remark, as the Government distanced itself from the issue.
Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu sought to take up the Question Hour, but CPI leader D Raja beseeched him saying that as the Vice-President he was custodian of the Constitution which was given to the country by Ambedkar and Hegde had made “very objectionable comments”.
Another Opposition member asserted that someone who had taken oath on the Constitution and then abused it had no right to continue being a Minister.
In an attempt to defuse the situation, the Government distanced itself from the Hegde’s controversial remarks.
“Members have expressed concerns to which we would like to emphasise that the Government is committed to the Constitution. The Minister has given a statement but we do not subscribe to those views,” Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Vijay Goel said during the Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha in a bid to assuage the Opposition. The House was adjourned till 12 pm.
Angry Opposition members, many of whom were in the Well, continued to raise slogans after the House resumed. They demanded that Hegde be sacked, forcing Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu to adjourn proceedings till 2 pm.
Hegde who was present in the House placed his papers on the table during the protest and soon left as protest continued unabated.
At a function in Karnataka on Sunday, Hegde, the Minister of State for Skill Development, had reportedly said people should identify themselves by their religions and “those who, without knowing about their parental blood, call themselves secular, they don’t have their own identity...They don’t know about their parentage”. He had also said “we are here to change the Constitution and we’ll change it”.
Similar scenes were witnessed in the lok Sabha around Union Minister’s remarks with the Opposition questioning the Government’s attitude towards the Constitution.
leader of Congress in the lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge raised the issue of remarks by Hegde, following which his party members rushed into the Well raising slogans such as ‘Ambedkar ka apman nahin chalega’ (We will not tolerate the insult of BR Ambedkar -- framer of the Constitution).