Parliament rocked by Maharashtra violence

New Delhi: As against orderly business on Tuesday, both the Houses of Parliament were rocked by pandemonium and adjournments over the Maharashtra caste violence on Wednesday; the highlight of the ruckus was a verbal clash between the ruling and the opposition in the afternoon during a debate on the official Bills.

The Rajya Sabha was adjourned by Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu thrice within minutes when the Opposition members led by Ghulam Nabi Azad and BSP leader Satish Chandra Misra sought to raise the issue of alleged excesses against Dalits in Maharashtra. The deputy chairman finally adjourned the House for the day after a wrangle over a motion brought by Congress deputy leader Anand Sharma to send the triple talaq bill to a House select committee for scrutiny.

Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan disallowed all adjournment notices on the Maharashtra development but agreed to allow the members to briefly speak during the zero hour, reminding them that the Britishers had ruled by dividing the people and they, as representatives of the people, should defend the nation and raise the issues responsibility.

Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge wanted the Prime Minister to come to the House and speak on the attacks on Dalits and appoint a Supreme Court judge to probe the Bhima-Koregaon violence on January 1. “PM should also give a statement, he can’t stay mum. He is a ‘mauni baba’ (mute spectator) on such issues,” Kharge said, while alleging that some fascist forces were behind the attacks on the Dalits who were celebrating the 200th anniversary of the 1818 victory of the Dalit forces over the Peshwas.

The Speaker tried to intervene when the ruling benches protested against Kharge’s accusation that the Hindu hardliners and the RSS was behind an attempt to divide the society by creating a rift between Marathas and Dalits. The Cong leader, however, went on to assert that Dalits have been assaulted in BJP-ruled states, be it Gujarat, Maharashtra or Rajasthan.

Even as the ruling Benches were up in arms, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar raised his voice in the din to accuse Kharge of making provocative remarks as part of the Congress game plan to divide and rule. At this, the Congress members trooped into the well and raised slogans to dub the BJP as “anti-Dalit” and later staged a walkout. Prof. Saugata Roy (Trinamul) said the violence could have been prevented but for the Maharashtra Government’s total failure to anticipate tension at Koregaon.

The Speaker switched over to the legislative business after allowing only two more MPs from Maharashtra to speak. Shiv Sena’s Shivaji Adhalrao Patil decried the sheer politics behind attempts to create tension between the Marathas and Dalits. Jalna MP Raosaheb Patil Danve condemned the incident, pointing out that there has been not a single riot in Maharashtra since the BJP came to power. He said those opposed to the Maharashtra government’s agenda of ‘Vikas’ (development) were behind the violence at the memorial.