PARLIAMENT FACES IRANI STORM THIS WEEK
NATIONALISM DEBATE MAY CONTINUE TO DOMINATE PROCEEDINGS
NEW DELHI: The debate over nationalism may continue to dominate the Parliament’s proceedings this week, even after both Houses of Parliament had completed discussions on the issue.
The BJP came out in support of union human resource minister Smriti Irani, after the Congress, Left and the JD(U) decided to push notice of breach of privilege against her for allegedly “misleading” the House in her reply on the debate on the students’ issue.
BJP spokesperson MJ Akbar slammed the Cong ress on Sunday, saying, “The Congress says the HRD Minister had ‘insinuated’ that Rohith Vemula is not a Dalit, and sought a Privilege Motion. Do we call a privilege motion on the basis insinuation or on the basis of what the minister has said? Had there been motion on the basis of insinuation, no Congress leader would have ever dared to enter Parliament.”
Even as the Congress alleged that Irani mislead the House and pointed out to Rohit Vemulla’s family’s statement in its defence, the BJP leader maintained that a minister’s statement is based on the official and police accounts.
In a bid to turn the table on the Congress, Akbar said, “The Congress refuses to accept one thing that the proctorial board and the executive council, which took the decisions on the students, were full of nominees of the UPA government. So, recommendations of the proctorial board and the decision of the executive council were taken by those people who were appointed by the Congress.”
Congress leaders, unfazed by the BJP’s defence, maintained that the Rohit Vemulla’s suicide and the JNU row are far from being over in Parliament. A section of the Congress even hinted that it may not negotiate the passage of the key bills with the BJP before the raging controversy fazes out. “They (the BJP) will have to chew the pill (of consequences of the students’ issue.) Then we may talk about the bills,” quipped a senior Congress leader.
The BJP, however, continued to target Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi over the JNU and Hyderabad university row. “Opposition leaders are so irresponsible that they make a fresh statement everyday and disappear. Rahul Gandhi can hide from Parliament, but not from people,” said Akbar.