Amar Singh apologises for scuffle in Rajya Sabha

Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh apologised to Bharatiya Janata Party Rajya Sabha member S S Ahluwalia for his conduct, following a scuffle in Rajya Sabha soon after Liberhan Commission report was tabled in the House by Home Minister P Chidambaram. As the home minister rose to lay a copy of the report during Zero Hour, the BJP members started chanting "Jai Sriram".

This infuriated SP member Amar Singh, who led his party colleagues to BJP senior member Ahluwalia in the front row and pounced upon him by catching his collar.

Singh and Ahluwalia were separated by their party colleagues.

The unruly scene upset Deputy Chairman K Rahman Khan so much he left the Chair without even announcing the adjournment of the House.

However, Singh apologised to Ahluwalia while re-entering the House near the Parliament gate, when it was about to be reconvened.

Earlier while speaking to jounralists, Singh said, "I will apologise to him as I had no intentions to hurt Ahluwalia. I am sorry if he is hurt by my actions."

Singh added that he was a greater Ram Bhakt than Ahluwalia.

"I read Hanuman Chalisa daily, but chanting 'Jai Shri Ram' in the House was not proper," he said.

When asked to comment on the Congress party's remark that the scuffle was a staged exercise by both the SP and the BJP, he vented his ire at the party.

"The Congress used us last year when it took our support during the vote of Confidence. Now, they have forgotten me and my party's contribution in saving the previous United Progressive Alliance government," the SP leader said.

Meanwhile, political parties termed the scuffle in Rajya Sabha as "unacceptable" and "very painful".

Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy said the entire fiasco in the Upper House was an "insult to democracy and was not acceptable".

"This is not only an insult of the country but a ridicule of our democracy. I am very sad and am feeling personally insulted," he said.

Congress Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament Rashid Alvi said, "I condemn it. The elders were behaving like children. It is very unfortunate and very painful. The incident has lowered the dignity of the house."