New Delhi: An agitated Opposition on February 18 created a furore in Lok Sabha
shortly after it assembled, demanding suspension of the Question Hour to discuss the
Ayodhya issue, but Speaker Manohar Joshi asked the members to wait for a decision by
the business advisory committee (BAC)on the matter.
Heated exchanges between treasury Benches and the Opposition occurred when Joshi
allowed Opposition leaders like Mulayam Singh Yadav, Somnath Chatterjee and Shivraj
Patil, who had moved the notices to suspend the Question Hour, to speak.
While demanding that the issue be discussed by suspending Question Hour, the
Opposition leaders launched a scathing attack on the government, charging it with
becoming "a party to divisive tendencies" by moving the Supreme Court when the "real
issues" were yet to be decided.
As the House assembled, the Speaker announced he had received as many as 20 notices
on Ayodhya issue, five on the flood situation, one by former Prime Minister H D Deve
Gowda on the plight of sugarcane growers and one on misuse of Prevention of
Terrorism Act (POTA).
As he allowed the Samajwadi Party chief to speak on why should the Question Hour be
suspended to discuss Ayodhya, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members Vinay Katiyar and
Kirti Azad said there was no reason to suspend the Question Hour.
Yadav said it was a serious matter, as the former chief justice of India justice J S
Verma, had come out in the open to say that his verdict was being "distorted". He
said BJP was playing politics with the issue and trying to foment communal trouble
throughout the country.
Communist party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader Somnath Chatterjee said "Patriotism
is not their (BJP's) monopoly. They are trying to divide the country and we are
trying to keep it united." The statement caused turmoil in the House, with BJP
members protesting it.
Chatterjee said the government had "suddenly" filed an application before the
Supreme Court without consulting anybody. "They have done it too close to
the 'dharam sansad' to be held on February 22," he said, leading to further protests
from BJP members.
Stating that it was not a "routine matter", he said "It is a diabolical move to
divide the country on the basis of religion and rouse passions of obscurantisms and
fanaticism."
Chatterjee alleged the government's "intention was to hand over the disputed land to
Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) without waiting for a decision on the main matter".
BJP's V K Malhotra said it was "unfortunate" that the Opposition was trying to stall
moves to allow the proposed temple to be built on "undisputed land".
He said the Centre wanted to resolve the age-old tangle, but the Opposition did not
want it to do so.
Shivraj Patil (Congress) charged the government with "becoming a party to divisive
tendencies" and said "there was no other important issue (as Ayodhya) which divides
the country".
The Speaker intervened to stop the regular bouts of interruptions and trading of
charges between the ruling and the Opposition sides.
Seeking co-operation of all sides, he disallowed the notices on Ayodhya seeking to
suspend the Question Hour, but said he wanted all issues to be discussed but it was
for the BAC to decide the schedule for discussion.
PTI
