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April 30, 2007 15:35 IST
The United Progressive Alliance government was subjected to major embarrassment in Lok Sabha on Monday when Rural Development Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh was forced by an agitated Opposition and Speaker Somnath Chatterjee to withdraw his un-parliamentary remarks against Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
The issue was raised by Prabhunath Singh (Janata Dal-United) immediately after the Question Hour, demanding a public apology from the Minister or his dismissal from the Cabinet by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
National Democratic Alliance members trooped into the well and stalled the proceedings for over 10 minutes as the Minister sought to justify his comments, stating that the use of such language as 'jeeb khinchunga' (I will pull out your tongue) was a common and accepted idiom in rural areas and he had to resort to such expressions as the state government had raised doubts over the intentions of Central ministers.
The Speaker said he did not approve of such words and urged the Minister to withdraw those words.
"Whatever may be the provocation, such language should have been avoided," he said.
Raghuvansh Prasad first said that if he had used un-parliamentary words, these could be expunged, but the Opposition maintained that there was nothing to be expunged, as the Minister had not made the comments inside the House.
"I withdraw this idiom," the Minister said, as the Opposition kept up its demand and stalled the proceedings.
The Minister said he used the harsh remark as Nitish and other state ministers were accusing the Centre when the state government had failed to utilise funds sanctioned by the Centre for National Highway Development Programme, Rashtriya Samvikas Yojna and Backward Regions Fund.
UNI
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