Monday, January 24 2005 15:28 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Bangalore: BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) today (Jan 24, 2005) demanded in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly the arrest of controversial American pastor Benny Hinn and a judicial probe by a sitting Supreme Court judge into the evangelist's "Festival of Blessings-Pray for India" programme conducted in Bangalore.

As the house commenced the day's business, Opposition BJP leader B S Yediyurappa and his men were up on their feet pressing with Speaker Krishna for an immediate debate on an adjournment motion sought to be moved by the party over the issue, arrest of Hinn and a judicial probe.

However, Minister for Revenue, M P Prakash, Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil, Forest Minister Gurupadappa Nagamarpalli, former Minister D K Shivakumar and others from the ruling party benches, opposed accepting the BJP's demand for suspending question hour and permitting a debate on Hinn's programme, insisting on conduct of the business as per the listed agenda.

This led to rumpus and procedural wrangle, with Prakash and Patil, pointing to rules book that the house cannot take up for debate two adjournment motions on a day, in the light the opposition seeking to move a similar motion to debate on the drinking water scarcity issue.

Unrelenting, the BJP leader, said that there was an urgent need to order for arrest of the pastor, before he left the country and charged the Government of aiding the conversion programme of the evangelist.

Intervening, Chief Minister N Dharam Singh, asserted that the Government was ready to give reply to the Hinn's programme issue sought to be raised by BJP, but wanted the chair to go by the listed agenda.

The speaker later ruled that he would go through the question hour and consider permitting a debate only after that.

Order was restored in the house after BJP accepted the chair's ruling.

Amid protests by BJP, Sangh Parivar and other organisations, Hinn's three-day programme concluded yesterday (Jan 23, 2005) on a peaceful note with Singh and several of his Ministerial colleagues attending it.