With political temperatures rising in both Houses, the minister was quick to apologise for her controversial remark, made at a rally in the capital which is headed for assembly elections early next year. This failed to satisfy opposition leaders who wanted an FIR to be lodged against her for spreading disaffection among communities, while citing her apology as her admission of guilt.
At the BJP parliamentary party meeting just before the day's proceedings, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, too, disapproved of Jyoti's remarks as "not acceptable" and asked party MPs to refrain from giving "address to the nation". According to sources, Modi did not name anyone, but later conveyed to the minister to apologise for the remarks.
The minister's offensive remark is in a series of similar statements by Sangh hotheads that have made people wonder if they have the ruling dispensation's tacit approval. The absence of any categorical condemnation of these remarks by the party brass has only reinforced the suspicion.
Leader of the house Arun Jaitley said, "The minister made an improper statement. It was unacceptable. Whether offence is made or not is for outside agencies to find out. Law will take its own course. This house does not have powers of investigation." As opposition leaders refused to relent, Jaitley stood his ground: "This house cannot discuss a sub-judice matter."
While Lok Sabha was adjourned for 15 minutes on Tuesday and conducted business after the minister's apology, the Rajya Sabha was repeatedly adjourned as a united opposition demanded that she be sacked and an FIR registered against her. It remained paralysed through the day as the opposition insisted on her resignation.
Members also demanded the PM's presence in the Rajya Sabha. CPM's Sitaram Yechury said, "Before getting black money from abroad, let's get PM."
As the House resumed for the day, Congress members Anand Sharma and Ashwini Kumar, BSP's Mayawati, CPM's Sitaram Yechury and Trinamool's Derek O'Brien demanded an apology from Niranjan Jyoti. Deputy chairperson PJ Kurien said ministers should be careful with their words but since Jyoti had said it outside Parliament, he could do little.
Anand Sharma said Jyoti's remarks about 70% of voters who did not opt for BJP is "reflective" of the party's mindset. Mayawati said Jyoti's remark is against the spirit of the Constitution and demanded her resignation and registration of a case against her. Yechury supported her demand. JD (U)'s Sharad Yadav said Jyoti's remarks are not isolated as he cited the instance of mysterious burning down of a Church in Delhi and BJP leader Giriraj Singh's speech during Lok Sabha campaign asking secularists to go to Pakistan.
Minister of state for parliamentary affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi agreed with the Opposition that dignified language be used by politicians. He even agreed for a discussion only if proper notice was given. Once the house resumed after a 10-minute adjournment, Jyoti came to the house and apologized. But opposition members called the minister's apology an "admission of guilt" and insisted on registration of FIR against her.
In Lok Sabha, Congress led the opposition charge against Jyoti with Mallikarjun Kharge raising two adjournment notices and demanding suspension of the Question Hour as party MPs Jyotiraditya Scindia, Gaurav Gogoi, K C Venugopal protested in the Well. He said the "objectionable" language used by Jyoti has created tension at a time when there have been communal riots. Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, while acknowledging that the issue was important, said it did not warrant interruption of the House proceedings. She said it could be raised during the Zero Hour. After apology from Jyoti, the House resumed work.
http://ift.tt/1AMe4Ca Niranjan Jyoti,Ram bhakts,Narendra Modi government
Stay updated on the go with The Times of India’s mobile apps. Click here to download it for your device.
This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service - if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at http://ift.tt/jcXqJW.
from Top Stories - Google News http://ift.tt/1FLOKLt
via IFTTT
0 comments:
Post a Comment