By IANS
New Delhi : Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee may be feeling ditched by communist MPs who used to be his party colleagues.
When the house met Tuesday, Chatterjee proudly welcomed Pavol Paska, speaker of the National Council of Slovak Republic, and the accompanying members of a parliamentary delegation from that country. But as Chatterjee finished his remarks, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader Basudeb Acharya stood up to raise the issue of reported attacks on communist workers in different parts of the country.
Chatterjee, a stickler for rules, was visibly upset that the MPs were trying to disturb the question hour. “Are you seeking permission to disturb the proceedings by giving a notice to suspend question hour?” he asked.
He told the shouting communist MPs: “You are ridiculing this institution.”
A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member was heard saying outside parliament: “The speaker was very upset that he was ditched by comrades in front of Slovakian leaders.”
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Rahul not out to ‘discover India’
The spin masters of the Congress party are really upset over repeated references in the media that Rahul Gandhi’s tour of Orissa was to ‘discover India’.
“It sends out a very bad message. Rahul is not new to India’s villages to ‘discover’ it. It sounds as if he is a stranger to this country,” a Congress leader pointed out.
Party leaders are now blaming Rahul’s office for “wrongly” naming the campaign that is seen as the launch of the party’s election campaign. They are now baying for the blood of the person behind it.
Rahul himself has clarified that it was not a “Bharat Darshan” for him. He termed it as an interactive programme and a “journey of understanding”.
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Sugarless doughnuts from Rahul earn him praise
Congress MPs cannot stop talking about how good a person Rahul Gandhi is! One leader was impressed over the Amethi MP’s concern for his colleagues and his humility.
He explained how the Congress general secretary always made extra effort to ensure that a senior MP, who accompanied him on a recent foreign trip, was comfortable. Rahul would pick up sugar-less doughnuts for her!
The MPs can barely hide their glee when they see media reports on young Gandhi’s comments on various issues. “Finally, he has started talking like a national leader,” said a beaming MP.
During his tour through Orissa, Rahul has commented on a range of issues, including the Indian hockey team’s failure to qualify for the Olympics, the contentious India-US civil nuclear agreement, and the possibility of early elections.