The Kerala Assembly on Monday witnessed an Opposition walkout and noisy scenes over Italy’s refusal to return their two Marines accused of shooting to death two Indian fishermen off the Kerala coast and some references made to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Congress president Sonia Gandhi in connection with Italy-linked developments in India.
While Speaker G Karthikeyan expunged Opposition leader VS Achuthanandan’s reference to Rajiv Gandhi from the Assembly records in the wake of strong protests from the Treasury Benches, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy expressed immense displeasure at the reference to Sonia Gandhi by a CPI(M) member.
Chandy assured the Assembly that Italian Marines latorre Massimiliano and Salvatore Girone would indeed be put to trial in India as per Indian laws. He also justified the stands the UPA Government had taken when the plea for permission for the Marines to go home came and when the Italian Government informed that they would not return.
Moving notice for an adjournment motion, CPI(M) member PK Gurudasan alleged that the State and Central Governments had connived in the escape of the Italians. He said the situation where the Italians were refusing to come back was the result of the failure of the State and Central Governments in taking sufficient precautionary measures.
“The Italian action amounts to challenging India’s pride. It is only normal to suspect a conspiracy behind this,” Gurudasan said while moving the notice for the motion. The Opposition lDF wanted to know why the Government had allowed the Italian Marines to go home when they could vote on-line in the election in their country.
A reference made by Opposition leader Achuthanandan to Rajiv Gandhi while talking about Italy-linked scams in India invited sharp reactions from the Treasury Benches. Achuthanandan said that Italy had been getting an upper hand in India since the time of Rajiv Gandhi.
As angry protests came up from the Treasury Benches against this statement, which also included references to the Bofors scandal and the helicopter deal, Speaker G Karthikeyan intervened to tell the Opposition leader that he need not refer to Rajiv Gandhi. He informed the House that he was expunging the remarks from the records.
Replying to the notice for the motion, the Chief Minister said that the Italian Marines would stand trial in India. “Have no doubts about this,” he said, adding that the statement Prime Minister Manmohan Singh made last week in Parliament over the matter had upheld the pride and honour of the country.
The Chief Minister claimed that the State’s counsel had promised the Italians facility to cast their votes in the election from India but the Italian envoy was not prepared to accept this. “We cannot accept any move to mislead the court, humiliate a country and protect accused in a case,” Chandy said.
He reiterated that the State Government had taken a resolute stand over the Marines’ pleas to go to Italy. When they approached the High Court for permission for celebrating Christmas in Italy, Kerala had opposed it, he said. The Speaker refused leave for the adjournment motion following the Chief Minister’s reply following which the Opposition walked out of the House.
Marines Massimiliano and Girone had on February 15 last year shot to death fishermen Jelestine (48) and Ajesh Binku (25) off the Kerala coast, when they were engaged in fishing job, from aboard Italian oil tanker Enrica lexie. The Kerala Police had arrested the Marines four days later from the ship.
o opIJIJIJpGIJm Tamil civilian lands. There is no credible policy of rehabilitation and reconstruction of the Tamil livelihoods,” said Jayalalithaa.
She said the UNHRC session is the most appropriate forum and occasion to mount further pressure on Sri lanka to ensure that accountability is established under an international framework for the war crimes and genocide committed in the closing stages of the civil war and the ongoing gross human rights abuses.
She wanted the Prime Minister to strengthen the US sponsored resolution further through suitable amendments that would “make the Resolution unambiguous in intent and effective in implementation”. She has also suggested amendments to be included in the resolution which would make Sri lanka accountable to the international community of nations.
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