And the Rajya Sabha was repeatedly adjourned, with the NDA minister of state for power talking about “manufactured discrimination” and the Congress MPs storming into the well of the House and demanding an apology from Goyal.
Advertisement
Proceedings in Rajya Sabha were disrupted again today even as Coal and Power Minister Piyush Goyal expressed regret for his comment on the remarks made by Congress leader Kumari Selja about her entry to a Gujarat temple.
The house witnessed an uproar over the remark of former minister that she was asked about her caste at a temple in Gujarat. “In this matter, the person concerned is a senior Member of this House, who had been a Cabinet Minister earlier; she has made a statement”.
Predictably, the house did not function after that and it was only the urgency to discuss the Chennai floods that restored a semblance of order in the proceedings, but the divisive issue remained unresolved.
In the Lok Sabha, Union minister of state V.K. Singh was the focus of the Opposition’s attack, with the Congress creating a ruckus demanding action against him for his “dog analogy” and later staging a walkout.
Congress members today stalled the House during the pre-lunch session creating uproar over the issue.
Selja countered that she had made it clear Monday itself that the incident did not happen at the main Dwarka temple but at Bet Dwarka. Please don’t do this Mr. Leader of the House.
District Collector of Devbhoomi Dwarka and ex-officio Chairman of Dwarkadhish Temple Administrative Committee H K Patel said, “Selja recently alleged in Rajya Sabha that she was asked to reveal her caste by priests during her visit to the temple (but) no such practice is in place here”.
Thaker claimed Selja had praised the temple and described her visit as a “very good experience” in the visitor’s book.
Among members of other Opposition parties, the Trinamool Congress’s Derek O Brien said a provocative remark has come from the government side which is serious and the member should either withdraw or apologise. Please don’t do this, Leader of the House.
Ms Selja refused to accept the minister’s regret and efforts were being made outside the House to resolve the matter through a series of meetings of leaders of various parties with Chairman Hamid Ansari and Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien.
He said the behaviour of Congress members was “not just”.
Amid slogan shouting from the Opposition, the House was adjourned for 30 minutes. Congress members raised slogans like “Samvidhaan ka apmaan band karo, band karo (Stop insulting the Constitution)”.
After continuous adjournments, Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu pleaded with the chairman to go through the records before taking appropriate action.
The Congress’ protest continued throughout Question Hour, which continued in the din.
Advertisement
The disruption continued despite the minister offering his regrets on the issue.
