Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairperson P.J. Kurien has said on Wednesday that Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) leader Mayawati must reconsider her decision to resign from the Parliament’s Upper House , and her perception that she was not allowed to speak in the House on Tuesday was based on a misunderstanding over a procedural matter.
Seeking to set the record straight on Tuesday’s turn of events, Mr Kurien said, “None of us, especially me, are happy about what happened. I always allow more time to her and we all respect her as a very senior leader. It was a communication gap, a misunderstanding... there’s no feeling against her.
“The House will ask her to reconsider the decision, I have no doubt about that.”
The idea was backed by different sections of the House, including Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and CPI (M)’s Tapan Sen, following which Mr Kurien said: “It is the desire of the House that she should take back her [resignation] letter.”
Mr Kurien was responding to a comment by BSP MP Satish C. Mishra during a short duration discussion on the reported increase in lynchings and atrocities on Dalits and minorities. Mr Mishra had said that Ms Mayawati had not been allowed to speak for more than two minutes and nine seconds on Tuesday though the Chair had allowed her three minutes and the treasury benches, including ministers, had drowned her out with loud interruptions.
“She was told it’s time up… The voice of a four-time chief minister was suppressed. But you can’t stop her from speaking outside Parliament so she quit,” Mr Mishra said.
About a minute later, when the Deputy Chairperson rang a bell to indicate that the time allotted to him was running out, Mr Mishra cut short his speech by saying 25 crore Dalits are ready to hear Ms Mayawati and she will speak directly to them.
Mr Kurien sought to assure him that the first bell was only an indication, not a sign to stop and took the opportunity to clear the air.
“Let me explain since you have brought it on record, I have nothing against anybody. Her name was not there in the list of people (who had sought an adjournment to discuss an issue) under Rule 267,” he said. Mr Mishra said that he had given a notice which had mentioned that she will be speaking on the matter instead of him.
“I want to set the record straight. When I came in, she was standing and so I said I am allowing her three minutes. I should have called the leader of Opposition, but please understand my position. I was to take up the [Rule] 267 discussion after those three minutes… It was a procedural matter… Whenever she has spoken, I give her more time and that’s why I called her first when she was standing,” he explained.
