INLD condemns BJP MP’s beef remark, stages walkout
CHANDIGARH: The Haryana assembly witnessed pandemonium for about three hours over INLD’s demand for a condemnation resolution against beef comment by a BJP MP, though speaker Kanwar Pal expunged all references in this context, following which the opposition party staged a walkout in protest against the BJP’s “doublespeak” on the issue.
The din got triggered off when INLD MLA Zakir Hussain, while speaking on the calling attention motion on stray cattle in Haryana, said that though the House had unanimously supportedthe bill for the cow preservation and protection, it was unfortunate that there were some reports of conflict between alleged cow smugglers and the police. He sought identity and authority letters to the people trading in cattle as well as better arrangements for the stray cattle.
On this, leader of Opposition Abhay Chautala rued the “doublespeak” of a BJP MP on beef whereas the BJP in Haryana was against beef.
Parliamentary affairs minister Ram Bilas Sharma held that the MP had immediately withdrawn his remark and regretted that his remark had been misinterpreted.
Abhay, however, demanded that a condemnation resolution against the BJP MP be passed by the House so that state government’s stand came clear on the issue. All the INLD MLAs backed Abhay’s demand.
Even as finance minister Capt Abhimanyu also stood up demanding Congress MLAs’ reaction to remarks made by their own party governments in other states, the House witnessed ruckus with the MLAs of BJP and Congress objecting to each other’s reference against persons not present in the assembly. They also sought the speaker Kanwar Pal’s ruling on the issue following which the latter expunged all references in the context.
However, INLD MLAs continued to flay what they termed as BJP’s doublespeak on the issue. At this, agriculture and animal husbandry minister OP Dhankar and BJP MLA Subhash Barala told the House that it was sad that Congress MLAs were not speaking even word on the ones who were daring to throw beef parties so as to provoke others.
However, Abhay alleged that the BJP government appeared to believe only in talking and doing nothing. He also recited a humorous couplet for BJP “Kaam mat kar, kaam ki fikr kar, fikr ka bhi sirf zikr kar (Don’t work, but only worry about work. And don’t actually worry, but just talk about it). He later led a walkout of INLD MLAs.