A war of words broke out in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday between Trinamool Congress (TMC) members and Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv Pratap Rudy after the Leader of Congress Mallikarjun Kharge asked the Government to make a statement on the hostage crisis in Sydney during Zero Hour.

As Rudy rose to respond, TMC and Congress members sought a statement from the External Affairs Minister, to which Rudy shot back by saying “Who are you?”, with some TMC members shouting back at him. The Congress, too, rose up in protest against Rudy’s words, while BJP veteran LK Advani was seen signalling to his junior party colleague to keep calm.

Adjournment notice

Earlier in the day, about 20 TMC members trooped into the Well shouting slogans during Question Hour, accusing the Government of misusing CBI in the Saradha chit fund scam, in which some top TMC leaders have been put behind bars. They were protesting the rejection of an adjournment notice given by Roy.

Walk out

An enraged TMC later staged a walk out, after which Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu criticised them, saying it does not make any sense to disrupt the House everyday as the Government was ready for a discussion.

“Let there be a debate on Saradha scam anytime,” Naidu said, adding that corruption cannot be hidden by shouting slogans in the House.

Incidentally, 27 MPs, including BJP’s Kirit Somaiya, have given notices seeking a debate on the Saradha scam issue.

However, Congress members protested Naidu’s intervention in the matter in the absence of TMC members, with party leader Kharge questioning how the Parliamentary Affairs Minister was clarifying on the Saradha issue during Question Hour.

comment COMMENT NOW