Lawmakers hit New Low in Legislatures
Barely within 24 hours of PM heart bleeding for unruly behaviour of own ministers and the President expressing warning concerns over the behaviour of MPs, people’s representatives have hit the new low in Parliamentary Democracy. Mike, stationery, broken glasses, whatever available in the Lok Sabha was used as a missile. The worst part was dangerous use of pepper spray and alleged pulling out of knife in the Parliament.
Telangana did not become a reality in 1956 and again in 1969. Will it be defeated for the third time in 2013 in the face of the escalating violence in coastal Andhra Pradesh, was the question everybody was asking since the Congress started this exercise of dividing the State with electoral considerations. What happened with an attempt of presenting the Bifurcation Bill is unprecedented and unbelievable. After the Congress suspended 6 of its MPs from Seemandhra and CM of AP taking a stage-managed rebellion flag, Lok Sabha turned into a chaotic market place with industrialist and suspended Congress MP L Rajagopal, from Vijayawada, sprayed pepper spray in the House. It caused burning sensations to several MPs. More than Half a dozen MPs even reportedly collapsed. 4 ambulances were summoned and injured MPs were immediately rushed to the nearby Ram Manohar Lohia hospital.
Then TDP MP Venugopal Reddy allegedly brandished a knife in the House which is not confirmed by the sources and denied by the MP. “I pulled the mike that was in front of the secretary general. It may have looked like a knife but I did not bring any knife inside the House. I was beaten up by 10 MPs. I will lodge a complaint. The House belongs to the Speaker and us,” he said defending his actions. Interesting, some of the MPs were more interested in shooting the panic rather than stopping it.
Many questions are unanswered in this shameful event. Why Government hurriedly tried to present the Bill without trying for consensus? There was a warning of unexpected protest, why sufficient security measures were not adopted? How come pepper spray and alleged knife entered into the Parliament? 16 MPs are suspended, is it enough to prevent any such incident in the future? The Government’s claim that Bill is presented in the Parliament is another eyewash and requires further clarification. The BJP countered Government’s claim that the Bill was tabled. Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj blamed the Congress for the pandemonium in the House and said that the uproar was part of the ruling party’s game plan. BJP stalwart Lal Krishna Advani said that he has never seen anything like this in his political career, and said it was disgraceful for the Parliament. Besides formal condemnation by the Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath about the behaviour of the MPs, no single statement has come from the divided Congress.
“Jan” Lokpal becomes a violent drama
The high voltage aam aadmi drama turned violent in other legislature at Delhi, with government pushing for independent Lokpal and Opposition demanding discussion on various impending issues. Since Lokpal and Swaraj are prestige points for the self-claimed honest party and its leader, Delhi CM is threatening to resign if the Bill is not passed. Almost like a written script the Congress has raised the issue of permission of the Centre which Kejriwal is not ready to comply with.
An attempt to introduce the Bill in the Assembly, by the controversial Law Minister of the State, Somnath Bharti further infuriated the Opposition. Congress MLA Asif Mohammad Khan broke microphone of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the Assembly.
The first day of the Delhi Assembly session—during which the AAP wants to pass the Jan Lokpal Bill—was stormy. Some MLAs broke Speaker M S Dhir’s mike and threw papers in the House. Adding to the chaos, Congress legislator Mohammad Asif reached near the Speaker’s table and tore away some papers. BJP MLA R P Singh put some bangles and lipsticks on the desk of Bharti while JDU MLA Shoaib Iqbal jostled with the Speaker’s chair.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal claimed “match-fixing” between the BJP and the Congress over the issue because of the Delhi Government’s move to file FIR on the gas pricing issue. On the other hand he is caught in controversy due to controversial actions of his ministers like Somnath Bharti and refusal of his Government to furnish details of expenditure on searing in ceremony and sprucing up of his after thought refused residence at Bhagwan Das Road.
Discrimination against Jammu and Ladakh turned violent
Just couple of days before screaming and fighting at the top most legislative house, Jammu & Kashmir Assembly witnessed unruly scenes as the Opposition did not allow the House to function over its demand for setting up new administrative units in “ignored” areas of the State, forcing adjournment for the day. Opposition PDP members trooped into the well alleging discrimination against certain areas which had not received new administrative units. A scuffle followed by it between agitated members and security staff-led to PDP MLA Musthaq Ahmad Shah getting injured.
The crux of the problem lies in the discriminatory measures adopted by the NC-Congress combine to further widen the gap between Kashmir and Jammu-Ladakh regions.
Mushtaq Ahmad Ganaie committee which has received a wrath of nationalist forces for favouring Kashmir region while recommending creation of 700 new administrative units across the State. All the Opposition parties including the BJP and Panthers Party has opposed this move.
All these incidences indicate the decay of Democratic culture in India and hard handed divisive approach of the ruling parties. The real question is, will it turn into provoked public opinion strongly demanding for Parliamentary reforms including abolition of undesired immunity to Parliamentarians?
—Bureau Report
There must be strict rules for MPs and MLAs
It is high time and now those elected representatives who have even a single pending case should be barred in much the same manner as a candidate is barred who applies for any government job even though the case was registered by someone holding personal enmity with him/her. You cannot have double standards and double parameters for common man and elected representatives!
—Sanjay Sirohi, Advt
Parliament pandemonium exposes Congress’s incompetence
We have repeatedly maintained that the UPA has lost the will to rule. Its ability to take and implement political decisions has come into severe questioning. What has happened today is on account of the UPA’s inability to handle the political situation arising out of the proposal to create the State of Telangana. Dangerous and prohibited devices are used to block the Parliamentary proceedings. Members are unsure of what actually has happened. As against this the BJP, including all its Members, from both Telangana and Seemandhra region are taking a cohesive stand in support of the creation of the state of Telangana while simultaneously addressing the legitimate concerns of the people of Seemandhra. Regrettably, the UPA has completely failed in this regard. It is the Congress and Congress alone which must take the responsibility for completely mishandling the situation.
—Arun Jaitley
Leave a Comment