The Hindu Business Line : Storm in House over maritime institute issue

The contention is that the Marine Engineering and Research Institute in Kolkata should be upgraded instead of starting another institute that has not yet been approved by the AICTE.

The proceedings in the Lok Sabha were disrupted on Tuesday when members of the DMK and the CPI(M) — allies in the UPA Government — clashed over the issue of establishing a maritime university in Chennai.

It began immediately after question hour when the Shipping Minister, Mr T. R. Baalu, sought leave of the House to introduce the Indian Maritime Bill, 2007. This drew immediate opposition from Left party MPs and the Speaker adjourned the House for 15 minutes.

When the House reassembled, CPI(M) members Anil Basu, Anik Lahiri, Sujan Chakdraborty and Amitava Nandy along with some CPI MPs rushed to the well of the House shouting slogans against the Bill that seeks to establish a maritime institute in Chennai, when already one such institute was functioning in Kolkata for more than five decades. Tempers rose and the situation threatened to get out of control with members close to coming to blows; Marshals were called in to separate the members.

The House had to be adjourned thrice after this and then the Speaker, Mr Somnath Chatterjee, allowed the CPI(M) Parliamentary Party Leader, Mr Basudev Acharya, to make a statement expressing regret over the incident. Mr Acharya said his party members had no intention of hurting anyone.

The Leader of the House, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, described the incident as "unfortunate" and pointed out that there are several ways one could express dissent and that a lot of scope for discussion existed within the House.

The Leader of the Opposition, Mr L. K. Advani, said that though coalition governments had been in vogue since 1998, for the first time the coalition dharma has been "violated in an ugly manner," reflecting "the failure of management by the Government".

He said that differences between the government and Opposition were the norm but such "altercations" among ruling allies in the House were "unprecedented".

The Speaker set the controversy at rest and chastised the members: "The entire country expects from us exemplary behaviour and members should be role model and responsible and this is what we have undertaken when filing nomination papers."

Then, the Speaker allowed Mr Baalu to introduce the Bill, which had been approved by the Union Cabinet a couple of months ago.

Mr Hannan Mollah of the CPI(M) told Business Line that his party did not play any regional sentiments in opposing the Bill as its principal contention is that the Marine Engineering and Research Institute in Kolkata, enjoying AICTE approval and offering a four-year maritime training degree, needs to be upgraded instead of starting another institute which has not yet been given formal approval by the AICTE.

He said that he has written to the Prime Minister about upgrading the Kolkata Institute.

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