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Lok Sabha adjourned till 1400 IST over RSS issue

The Lok Sabha was adjourned till 1400 hrs today, with a relentless Opposition stalling business for the sixth day, after Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pramod Mahajan said there was no question of discussing the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh issue under Rule 184 as it had already begun under Rule 193 of the Rules of Procedure.

Reiterating that the central government had no intention of allowing public servants to participate in RSS activities, Mahajan said the decision in this regard was taken by the state governments. He said the government was prepared to discuss 'each and every issue' under Rule 193 as permitted by Speaker G M C Balayogi. The discussion under Rule 193 had begun and Kirit Somayya's speech was incomplete, he added.

However, Madhavrao Scindia (Cong), Rup Chand Pal (CPI-M) and other members insisted that the Opposition had abided by the ruling of the chair to permit the presentation of the Union and railway budgets but he had not taken note of their sentiments on this very 'sensitive and fundamental issue'.

Describing the matter as 'very very unfortunate', the speaker adjourned the house after twenty minutes when his pleas for restoration of normal function of the house fell on deaf ears.

Somnath Chatterjee (CPI-M) sought to speak after Mahajan, but Opposition members were provoked by some remarks made by members from the treasury benches and began to march into the well of the house. Chatterjee was heard saying that he would not shout but would not also give up his right to be heard. At this stage, the speaker adjourned the house.

Scindia said the Opposition was being 'steamrolled'. It was the right of every citizen to know how the parties reacted on this very fundamental issue, and this could only be expressed through a vote. Pal said the Opposition was responsive to the requests of the speaker for presentation of the budgets, but he had ignored their notices under Rule 184 on this very 'vital and sensitive issue'.

The members were on their feet as soon as the speaker entered the house at 1100 hrs, and the Opposition was joined by members of the Shiv Sena who were demanding the restoration of security to party chief Bal Thackeray.

Earlier, the speaker said the members were lowering the dignity of the house and preventing any business from being taken up. He asked them if they were adamant that the question hour should be given up.

UNI

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