By IANS
New Delhi : The violence in West Bengal’s Nandigram, which has led to pandemonium in parliament Monday and Tuesday, will be discussed in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday under Rule 193 — which does not involve voting.
The issue will be discussed under a motion ‘The proposal to set up a special economic zone in Nandigram and the subsequent violence’.
The stalemate in the Lok Sabha was brought to an end during a meeting Tuesday afternoon of a six-member committee of major political party leaders on the issue. The meeting was held in Parliament House.
The committee was formed after the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance disrupted proceedings in the house demanding an immediate discussion on Nandigram in East Midnapore District where 34 people have died in violence since January. However, the Communist Party of India-Marxist and the government opposed it arguing that a state issue could not be discussed in parliament and they did not want to create a precedent.
The six-member 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 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 communist-ruled West Bengal.
While the Lok Sabha witnessed pandemonium and three adjournments, the Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day at noon. 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.
In the morning, immediately after the Lok Sabha met, 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 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.
The Nandigram region has been on the boil since January over a 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.