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Balayogi evicts unruly member, house abandons action against two RJD MPs

Lok Sabha Speaker G M C Balayogi today ordered the marshalling out of Anand Mohan (Rashtriya Janata Party) for defying the chair.

Balayogi took the extreme step, as his repeated requests to the member to resume his seat went unheeded.

For over ten minutes, the member interrupted the proceedings of the House. He had to be physically removed by the marshals as he refused their request to leave the House on his own. The speaker had earlier asked him to leave the House.

In the process of being evicted, Anand Mohan suffered injuries when he hit the glass-panes.

Even as he was rushed to the Parliament House dispensary, where the doctors there gave him first aid and moved him to hospital, the MP from Sheohar kept raising slogans demanding the introduction of the Women's Reservation Bill.

Earlier, Balayogi had ordered that he be bundled out of the House for repeatedly blocking the proceedings.

In an unprecedented move, the Lok Sabha today also sought to suspend two Rashtriya Janata Dal members, Surendra Yadav and Ajit Kumar Mehta for their unruly behaviour in the house yesterday, but dropped the drastic action following an unconditional apology tendered by RJD chief Laloo Prasad Yadav and Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav.

In a conciliatory gesture, Prime Minister A B Vajpayee, after describing yesterday's incidents as "most shameful", asked his Cabinet colleague, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Madanlal Khurana to drop the move against the RJD members. Khurana had earlier moved a motion for suspending the two RJD members for snatching the papers from the Speaker's podium and from Law Minister M Thambidurai and thereby obstructing the introduction of the bill.

Immediately after the motion was taken up by the House, both Laloo Yadav and Mulayam Yadav tendered an unqualified apology for the incidents and said they had condemned it instantly. The discussion on the motion was on expected lines, with all the Opposition leaders condemning the incidents and describing it as a blot on democracy.

There were, however, acrimonious scene when Shiv Sena member Madhukar Sarpotdar was castigating the two RJD members and demanded action against them. In a fit of anger Laloo Yadav said the member cannot insult them even after they had tendered an apology. In such a case we will withdraw our apology, he threatened.

At one stage, when the Speaker had called on the prime minister to speak, Indian Union Muslim League member G M Banatwala and National Conference member Saifuddin Soz protested that they were not given an opportunity to give their views on the episode.

Banatwala said the Speaker had started a full-fledged discussion on yesterday's incidents in the House and should not block them from presenting their views. Both Soz and E Ahmed (IUML) supported Banatwala's contention. They were arguing with the Speaker for a few minutes before giving in to the prime minister. Independent member Buta Singh even sought to raise a point of order against discrimination against some members from presenting their viewpoint on the issue. Balayogi, however, rejected his contention.

In his brief speech, Vajpayee deprecated the behaviour of the minority section in the House to block the introduction of the legislation which has the support of a majority of members. In a democracy the views of the majority prevailed while the views of the minority would be heard. The minority had to wait for their turn before they secure the majority in the House if parliamentary democracy had to survive in the country, he said.

Vajpayee recalled that proceedings in Parliament had been stalled in the past too on several occasions but what happened yesterday, when papers were snatched, crossed all limits. Describing the incident as deplorable, Vajpayee said he had not come across such a scene in Parliament during his 40-year career.

Earlier, when the House reassembled, Balayogi read out a statement even as women members led by Trinamul Congress leader Mamta Banerjee stormed into the well of the House protesting against the decision to postpone the introduction of the women's bill.

In his statement, Balayogi narrated the incidents which forced him to adjourn the House abruptly yesterday and described these as reprehensible. Such incidents eroded the credibility of Parliament, he said, adding that he condemned it in the strongest possible term. Immediately thereafter, Khurana sought leave of the House to move the motion seeking to suspend the two RJD members.

In a quick reaction to foil any move to suspend the members, both Laloo Yadav and Mulayam Singh expressed their unconditional apology for the incident and said they would ensure that such an incident did not recur. They also maintained their parties have the highest regard for the Speaker's office and would strive to protect its honour.

Leader of the Opposition Sharad Pawar, while stating that the incident surpassed all limits, however did not favour action against the members in view of the apology tendered by the leaders. While CPI-M leader Somnath Chatterjee followed the same line, CPI leader Indrajit Gupta favoured action to ensure that such incidents do not recur. He also demanded that the concerned RJD members should apologise. Former prime minister Inder Kumar Gujral also expressed his anguish over the development.

UNI

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