Minister has apologised, we should show generosity: PM on hate speech

For the fourth straight day, proceedings in the Rajya Sabha were washed out on Friday over the row surrounding Minister Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti as Prime Minister Narendra Modi's fresh appeal to opposition to show "magnamity" by accepting her apology went unheeded.

While the Rajya Sabha could not transact any business because of the uproar created by opposition members, several opposition parties boycotted proceedings in Lok Sabha for hours to press the demand for Jyoti's sacking.

The Rajya Sabha was adjourned repeatedly for four times before the final one just after 3 pm.

Upping the ante, leaders of nine opposition parties also issued a joint statement demanding a resolution condemning Jyoti's remarks who, they said, deserves "outright removal".

MPs belonging to the Congress party, the Trinamool Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party, the Communist Party of India, the Samajwadi Party and the Rashtriya Janata Dal, led by Rahul Gandhi, also staged a protest outside the Parliament House.

With the stalemate virtually washing out the proceedings of almost the entire week, Deputy Chairman P J Kurien directed leaders of opposition parties and the government to sit together and hammer out a solution by Monday.

The Prime Minister, who appealed in Rajya Sabha on Thursday to put the matter to rest, spoke in Lok Sabha today, trying to mollify the opposition members.

He said he had disapproved of Jyoti's comments but the opposition should show "magnamity" in accepting her apology while keeping in mind her village "background".

Modi said he had taken a strong view of such comments at BJP's Parliamentary Party meeting even before the matter was raised in the house.

"I sternly directed that such words and language should not be used. I had disapproved of such comments. Nobody can approve such things," he said.

"The minister has apologised. She is new. We also know her social background. She is from a village and has apologised. It is the duty of senior members of this House that if one of our colleagues apologises, we should show magnanimity,” he added.

While underlining that "it is our duty that we understand our limits in public life and stay within our limits while making public discourse," the prime minister said, "When the minister has apologised, senior members should ensure that the matter ends and the house functions for the national interest."

His statement as soon as the Lok Sabha met for the day, however, failed to mollify the opposition members who were wearing black bands on their faces and boycotted proceedings of the house for the day.

Earlier, before the house met for the day, members of several parties, wearing black cloth on their faces, staged a protest in front of Mahatma Gandhi's statue outside the Parliament House.

"The government does not want democratic expression and democratic voice," Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi said while leading the protest to demand Jyoti's removal.

Government, on its part, appealed to the opposition to come back to the house.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu attacked Congress, wondering as to under whose pressure it was working and warned that such attempts to obstruct proceedings would "boomerang".

In the Rajya Sabha, Deputy Leader of Congress Anand Sharma said, "There is an impasse between the government and the opposition and as long as this issue is not resolved, we will not allow the House to run."

The Congress member charged the government with forcing a stalemate in the house.

While pressing for a resolution condemning Jyoti's remarks, Satyavrat Chaturvedi (Cong) said, "Expression of the Prime Minister's speech is almost identical to the resolution, we are making. What is the problem for the government?"

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the issue should be "closed" as the Prime Minister himself has "strongly disapproved" of the remarks.

Kurien, concerned over the impasse, directed leaders of opposition parties and the government to sit together and hammer out a solution by Monday.

"Leaders of the opposition parties and government should sit together and work out a solution by Monday. The Chair cannot take a decision," he observed as the House failed to transact any business.

Earlier, Sitram Yechury (CPI-M) suggested that there could be a vote on what the prime minister said in the house to break the impasse. 

For the fourth straight day, proceedings in the Rajya Sabha were washed out on Friday over the row surrounding Minister Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti as Prime Minister Narendra Modi's fresh appeal to opposition to show “magnanimity" by accepting her apology went unheeded.

While the Rajya Sabha could not transact any business because of the uproar created by opposition members, several opposition parties boycotted proceedings in Lok Sabha for hours to press the demand for Jyoti's sacking.

The Rajya Sabha was adjourned repeatedly for four times before the final one just after 3 pm.

Upping the ante, leaders of nine opposition parties also issued a joint statement demanding a resolution condemning Jyoti's remarks who, they said, deserves "outright removal".

MPs belonging to the Congress party, the Trinamool Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party, the Communist Party of India, the Samajwadi Party and the Rashtriya Janata Dal, led by Rahul Gandhi, also staged a protest outside the Parliament House.

With the stalemate virtually washing out the proceedings of almost the entire week, Deputy Chairman P J Kurien directed leaders of opposition parties and the government to sit together and hammer out a solution by Monday.

The Prime Minister, who appealed in Rajya Sabha on Thursday to put the matter to rest, spoke in Lok Sabha today, trying to mollify the opposition members.

He said he had disapproved of Jyoti's comments but the opposition should show "magnanimity" in accepting her apology while keeping in mind her village "background".

Modi said he had taken a strong view of such comments at BJP's Parliamentary Party meeting even before the matter was raised in the house.

"I sternly directed that such words and language should not be used. I had disapproved of such comments. Nobody can approve such things," he said.

"The minister has apologised. She is new. We also know her social background. She is from a village and has apologised. It is the duty of senior members of this House that if one of our colleagues apologises, we should show magnanimity,” he added.

While underlining that "it is our duty that we understand our limits in public life and stay within our limits while making public discourse," the prime minister said, "When the minister has apologised, senior members should ensure that the matter ends and the house functions for the national interest."

His statement as soon as the Lok Sabha met for the day, however, failed to mollify the opposition members who were wearing black bands on their faces and boycotted proceedings of the house for the day.

Earlier, before the house met for the day, members of several parties, wearing black cloth on their faces, staged a protest in front of Mahatma Gandhi's statue outside the Parliament House.

"The government does not want democratic expression and democratic voice," Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi said while leading the protest to demand Jyoti's removal.

Government, on its part, appealed to the opposition to come back to the house.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu attacked Congress, wondering as to under whose pressure it was working and warned that such attempts to obstruct proceedings would "boomerang".

In the Rajya Sabha, Deputy Leader of Congress Anand Sharma said, "There is an impasse between the government and the opposition and as long as this issue is not resolved, we will not allow the House to run."

The Congress member charged the government with forcing a stalemate in the house.

While pressing for a resolution condemning Jyoti's remarks, Satyavrat Chaturvedi (Cong) said, "Expression of the Prime Minister's speech is almost identical to the resolution, we are making. What is the problem for the government?"

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the issue should be "closed" as the Prime Minister himself has "strongly disapproved" of the remarks.

Kurien, concerned over the impasse, directed leaders of opposition parties and the government to sit together and hammer out a solution by Monday.

"Leaders of the opposition parties and government should sit together and work out a solution by Monday. The Chair cannot take a decision," he observed as the House failed to transact any business.

Earlier, Sitram Yechury (CPI-M) suggested that there could be a vote on what the prime minister said in the house to break the impasse. 

Image: Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks on the hate speech issue in Lok Sabha on Friday

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