By IANS
New Delhi : The violence in West Bengal’s Nandigram continued to rock parliament for the second day Tuesday as the presiding officers of both houses rejected a determined opposition’s demand for a discussion on the issue.
Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee formed a six-member committee of major political party leaders to decide on the draft of the motion that is to be moved for a discussion over the issue in the house.
The committee comprises of Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) MP Basudeb Acharya, Communist Party of India MP Gurudas Dasgupta, and National Democratic Alliance (NDA) MPs V.K. Malhotra and Prabhunath Singh.
Earlier in the day, both houses witnessed repeated adjournments after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led NDA MPs refused to accept the government’s suggestion that a discussion could take place on the developments in Nandigram but on a “differently worded motion”.
The opposition disrupted the proceedings in both houses, demanding the suspension of all other business for a debate on the arson and killings in the troubled region of the communist-ruled West Bengal.
While the Lok Sabha witnessed pandemonium and three adjournments, the Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day at 12 noon itself. Although no major business was transacted, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram presented the supplementary demands for grants amidst the chaos in the Lok Sabha.
The attempts by the presiding officers of both houses to break the stalemate at an all-party meeting failed after the opposition leaders refused to make changes in their adjournment motion.
Immediately after the Lok Sabha met in the morning, the opposition members trooped into the well of the house, raising slogans against the CPI-M and the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and were unmoved by Chatterjee’s requests to go back to their seats.
Some of the slogans were: “Shame on the murderers of democracy”, “UPA is sleeping while Nandigram is weeping” and “We will not allow any business unless a discussion is permitted”.
Chatterjee’s plea that he would allow a discussion if it was properly formatted and that the question hour should be allowed to take place fell on deaf ears. However, amid the chaos, the papers listed in the business were tabled.
“I told you that a properly worded motion could be allowed. You are not even interested. You are insisting on making it political, it has become a mockery of democracy. I strongly denounce it,” Chatterjee said.
Dasmunsi even suggested that a discussion could take place after a meeting of leaders of all political parties.
In the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Suresh Pachouri said the government was ready for a discussion on any issue. “This sort of disruption (in the house) should not be there. But the rule and wordings of the motion has to be decided by the house,” he said.
As the opposition was in no mood to relent, Deputy Chairman K. Rahman Khan adjourned the house till Wednesday.
Nandigram region has been on the boil since January over a proposed plan to acquire farmland for industry. Though the plan was later scrapped, the cluster of villages in the area has witnessed repeated flare-ups due to political clashes.