By IANS
New Delhi : The Left parties Thursday said violence in the communist-ruled West Bengal’s Nandigram cannot be discussed in parliament as it was a state subject.
“Nandigram is a state subject and it can be discussed in the West Bengal assembly,” said Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) MP Sitaram Yechury.
“Parliament does not discuss state subjects. This being the constitutional status, the Left parties feel that the issue should not be brought in parliament,” he said.
There have been skirmishes in Nandigram area between armed CPI-M supporters and villagers backed by the main opposition Trinamool Congress. Last week’s renewed clashes took the death toll in the region since January to 34.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has said it would demand a discussion over the Nandigram situation in both houses of parliament during the winter session.
But Left leaders have opposed the BJP’s demand in the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) meetings of both houses.
At a press conference, addressed by both CPI-M and Communist Party of India (CPI) leaders in the Parliament House, Yechury’s view was “endorsed” by Gurudas Dasgupta of the CPI.
“This parliament functions with certain norms,” said Dasgupta, leader of the CPI in the Lok Sabha.
Interestingly, the CPI-M’s allies in the West Bengal’s ruling Left Front, including the CPI, had Sunday publicly criticised it for the developments in Nandigram.
However, the Left leaders said they would demand a discussion on a sting operation by the Tehelka newsmagazine on the Gujarat government’s alleged role in the communal violence in that state in 2002.
Justifying the demand, the Left MPs said parliament could discuss attack or atrocities on “Dalits, tribals, women and the minority communities”.
“The Tehelka sting operation has exposed the state’s patronage of the communal carnage in Gujarat. The Supreme Court itself has suggested that the central government could deal with the attack on fundamental feature of the country’s constitution. In Gujarat, a fundamental feature of the Indian constitution – secularism – was attacked.”
The Left parties – also including Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) and the Forward Bloc – also want to discuss the issue of the price rise, strengthening of the public distribution system, the increasing Maoist violence, farmers’ suicides and the agrarian crisis during the winter session.
The winter session of parliament that began Thursday is scheduled to conclude Dec 7.