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POTO introduction stalled in LS
By Vinay Kumar
NEW DELHI, DEC. 11. A united Opposition today stalled the introduction of the controversial Prevention of Terrorism Bill, 2001 in the Lok Sabha. Enraged Opposition members whipped up such a surcharged atmosphere in the House over the `Kargil coffin issue' that the anti-terrorism bill to replace the Ordinance got entangled in a procedural wrangle.
Even as the House was witnessing an uproar on resuming its sitting after an hour-long adjournment in the morning, the Speaker, Mr. G.M.C. Balayogi, proceeded with the schedule of business for the day, which included tabling of various reports and papers.
Amidst much noise, the Speaker called out the Home Minister, Mr. L.K. Advani, to introduce the Bill. As Mr. Advani rose to seek leave of the House to introduce the diluted version of the Bill, the Opposition stepped up its protest.
The Samajwadi Party member, Mr. Akhilesh Singh, was seen tearing papers and throwing them into the well of the House. Several others moved towards the well. Such was the atmosphere that the Opposition members seemed unmindful of the recently- enacted automatic suspension rule for intruding into the well; some even staged a sit-in, stalling introduction of the Bill. Almost simultaneously, the Speaker adjourned the House for lunch.
After an hour-long all-party meeting, convened by the Speaker in his chamber during the lunch break, it became known that no action was being contemplated against the Opposition members who had stormed into the well. It was pointed out by sources in the Lok Sabha that the members had done so only after the House was adjourned by the Speaker.
Opposition leaders, mainly belonging to the Congress, the Samajwadi Party, the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Left parties, said they had ``apprehended'' that the controversial anti-terrorism legislation had been introduced by Mr. Advani.
They told the Speaker that their members had entered the well over an erroneous impression that the Bill had been introduced. They said the Speaker informed them that the motion of introduction of the legislation was only half-way through and the Bill could not be deemed to have been introduced in such a manner.
The CPI(M) leader, Mr. Somnath Chatterjee, later said that the Opposition had showed unanimity over POTO. ``The Opposition will never accept POTO.'' The Government, he said, was threatening to call a joint session of Parliament to enact the draconian law. He questioned the urgency behind promulgating the Ordinance as even during the seven-week period it has been in force only one case has been registered.
At a press conference later, the BJP spokesman, Mr. Vijay Kumar Malhotra, reiterated the Government's commitment to introduce the bill.``It is blatantly undemocratic to block such a law in the House.''
The BJP spokesman, however, diluted his tough posture and added that the Government would decide only after December 18 if there was a need to call a joint session of Parliament. It was decided at today's meeting of the BJP Parliamentary Party, presided over by Mr. Advani, to ask all party MPs to remain in New Delhi till December 24.
Mr. Malhotra said Mr. Advani had told party MPs that the Government had carried out all possible amendments in POTO and it would not be allowed to be rendered meaningless. Mr. Advani said it was the country's obligation under a recent U.N. Security Council resolution to enact an anti-terrorism law.
However, the Congress, like other Opposition parties, remained unchanged in its stand. Its president, Ms. Sonia Gandhi, told presspersons at an `iftar' in the evening that the party remained opposed to POTO.
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