Opposition leaders, who disrupted Parliament over the issue of Shiv Sena MPs have asked the Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to set up an inquiry into this “inhuman” incident.
In a letter to the Speaker, they have accused the government of “defending the act by being silent” and asked Ms. Mahajan to “to uphold the dignity of the House” and to ensure that “appropriate action” is taken to prevent repetition of “such wanton behaviour”.
The letter was signed by leader of Congress in Lok Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, NCP leader Tariq Anwar, Jaiprakash Narayan Yadav (RJD), P Karunakaran (CPI-M), N K Premachandran (RSP), E T Muhammad Basheer (IUML) and Jose K Mani (Kerala Congress-M), all of the Lok Sabha.
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Earlier in the day, both Houses witnessed brief adjournments as opposition MPs clashed with their counterparts from the Shiv Sena and BJP.
The flashpoint in the Lok Sabha came when BJP MP Ramesh Biduri rushed to the well of the House to tell the opposition MPs, “This is India. Those...go out”. However, he later apologised after Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu disapproved of his conduct, stressing that the government is in no way connected with the “unsavoury” incident.
Raising the issue during Zero Hour in the Lok Sabha, Congress MP M.I. Shanavas said the incident struck “at the root of secularism. MPs who should be role models have become bad models...The faith of minorities has been tarnished. The House should condemn it.”
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Defending the Sena MPs, Union Minister Anant Geete said: “Those who want to respect the month of Ramzan should not make false statements in the House,” triggering sharp protests from the Opposition. Deputy chairman P J Kurien told the House that the government had promised to ascertain the facts and then come back to the House.