The Rajya Sabha saw a clash between the Government and Opposition after the BSP and the Congress opposed the presence of Union Minister VK Singh in the Upper House and demanded his dismissal from the Government over his controversial “dog” analogy after killing of two Dalit children in Haryana.
Members of the BSP and the Congress created uproar and trooped into the Well to demand the exit of Singh, which was countered by the treasury benches. Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien also asserted that the Minister has every right to be in the House.
Trouble started when Singh arrived in the House and took his seat. Senior BSP leader Satish Chandra Mishra rose, saying Singh cannot be allowed to sit in the House “even for a minute” and should be “thrown out” as he has “violated” the Constitution.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu, who rushed to the House to defuse the situation, asserted that Singh will not leave the House. Naidu dismissed the attack on Singh as a “canard” and accused the BSP of doing politics in the name of caste. An unfazed Singh, a former Army Chief who was earlier seated in back row, moved to second row.
As tempers ran high, the Deputy Chairman said it was not for the Chair but for the court to decide who violated the Constitution and who did not . “As a minister, he has the right to be here. We cannot ask a minister to go back. We are not here to judge whether someone has violated the Constitution,” he said.
However, the BSP was not amused and created uproar, forcing Kurien to adjourn the House twice. They, however, allowed Home Minister Rajnath Singh to make a statement on the flood situation in Chennai, before resuming their protest.
“You do not know even this much how to address a human being, how to address a Dalit. He is not entitled to sit in the House. He has no right to sit in the House as he has violated the same Constitution, whose oath he took. He should be thrown out. He has yet not apologized,” Mishra said.
He also took objection to Singh “smiling” and appearing “happy” in the House even as the issue was being raised.
Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi took objection to this, saying the BSP members are “insulting” an honourable member and it is a “matter of privilege”.
Soon the BSP members along with some Congress members including Pramod Tiwari and P l Punia trooped into the Well. As the clash continued, another Opposition member recalled that Singh had called journalists “presstitutes”.