Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday urged the Lok Sabha to put aside the issue of remarks made by Minister of State for Food Processing Industries Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti. As in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, Mr Modi asked members to accept her apology, and also factor in her rural background and inexperience.
However, a joint statement by nine opposition parties urged the Government to accept a joint resolution in the Rajya Sabha condemning attempts to “outrage our Constitution by making inflammatory speeches aimed at dividing the syncretic, socio-cultural mosaic” of the country.
Besides the Congress, the parties which signed the statement are the Samajwadi Party, Trinamool Congress, Janata Dal (United), Bahujan Samaj Party, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, CPI and the Nationalist Congress Party.
Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge sought to clarify that the Opposition had nothing against any individual or her background but was taking a stand against the increasing instances of ministers making objectionable statements outside the House.
“Such statements are vitiating the atmosphere,” he said but with Speaker Sumitra Mahajan stating that the matter was closed, the Congress along with several other parties staged a walk out.
As the logjam continued for the fourth consecutive day in the Rajya Sabha, Deputy Chairman P.J. Kurien urged the government and the Opposition parties to resolve the issue outside Parliament. His observations came after the government and Opposition parties stood their ground on how to end the impasse.After frequent adjournments disrupted proceedings, Opposition members said they had “scaled down” their demand of seeking Ms. Jyoti’s dismissal from the council of ministers but want a joint resolution moved. “There is no need to sack the minister. Just pass a resolution on the lines of what the Prime Minister said,” TMC member Derek O’Brien said, adding that the government should not be adamant with a reasonable opposition. Agreeing with him, Congress leader Anand Sharma said, “this was the right thing to do to restore the dignity of the discourse”.
Black band protest
Inside and outside Lok Sabha, Congress and Trinamool Congress members sported black bands across their faces to register their protest against the Government using its “brute majority” to silence the Opposition.
With the Opposition walking out and boycotting proceedings for the rest of the day, the Lok Sabha carried on with its business unlike the Rajya Sabha, where no work could be conducted.
