ID :
13472
Wed, 07/23/2008 - 11:25
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/13472
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BSP, Left demand probe into alleged threats against Mayawati
New Delhi, July 23 (PTI) Opposition Bahujan Samajwadi Party and Left parties Tuesday demanded a probe by a House Committee into the alleged misuse of Central Bureau of Investigation against B.S.P. Chief Mayawati in order to "force" her to support the United Progressive Alliancegovernment.
B.S.P. members first created ruckus during Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's speech on the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's confidence, forcing Speaker Somnath Chatterjee to adjourn the House for lunch asking the Amethi MP to make hisstatement after lunch hour.
As the House reassembled, B.S.P. leader Brajesh Pathak alleged that the Congress leadership was using C.B.I. to "pressurise" his party and its leader Mayawati to support theUPA government in today's confidence vote.
He claimed that the investigating officer had given a clean chit to Mayawati in the disproportionate assets case but it was being reopened "at the level of the C.B.I. director." "We were told to take a decision (of supporting U.P.A.) or face consequences," he said referring to a CBI officer,whom he did not name.
Pathak, waiving papers pertaining to investigations into the Mayawati case, sought an independent inquiry into theissue by a House Committee.
Chatterjee agreed to receive the "papers" and said: "I am sending the papers to the Home Minister for an investigation." But later asked Home Minister Shivraj Patil to return the papers after protests from BSP that they did not havefaith in the government.
"I promise I will give serious through (to thedemand)," the Speaker said.
When other B.S.P. members claimed that C.B.I. was pressuring them to vote in favour of the government, Chatterjee said the members were free to cast their vote according to their conscience and they had his "full protection." Basudev Acharya (C.P.M.), Guru Das Gupta (C.P.I.) and Anant Geete (Shiv Sena) supported the B.S.P's demand saying the allegations were serious in nature and should be inquiredby a House Committee.
Their demand was opposed by Beni Prasad Varma (S.P.) amid calls from treasury benches that the allegations werefabricated.
Anant Kumar (B.J.P.) said the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had kept the entire nation in dark about the nuclear deal and its consequences and likened it to the 1989 Boforsdeal.
"The people of the country are going to punish the Congress." He asked Prime Minister to explain if the deal would put a permanent moratorium on nuclear tests and if the Hyde Act of U.S. was applicable to plants out of the purview of thedeal.
The B.J.P. leader also asked if the deal would put Indiaat equal footing with the other five nuclear nations.
Railway Minister Lalu Prasad said the Prime Ministerhad taken a courageous step.
Adding humour to the debate, he said everybody aspires to become Prime Minister. "Even I do but I am not in a tearing hurry." When B.S.P. members protested, Prasad said in the existing socio-political setup, no one would like to have "Mayawati, Lalu Prasad or Mulayam Singh as the Prime Minister." He took a dig at Left parties saying that they are cutting the branch on which they were sitting but hastened to add that "char saal pehle hamein tum se pyar tha, aaj bhi hai aur kal bhi rahega (we were in love with you four years ago, we are in love even today and we will remain in love in future)." After reciting the lines of the famous Hindi film song of yesteryears, the RJD supremo again referred to the Left members and recited "o door ke musaphir, aa jao' (oh travellerof faraway places, come back).
Prasad lambasted the Bharatiya Janata Party including its leader Advani for "neither referring to the United States or the nuclear deal" and asked NDA Chairman George Fernandes, who was present in the House, "why are you, who taught Mulayam and me socialism, now sitting with them (BJP)." Acharia asked the Prime Minister to clarify whether the Left-UPA Committee had concluded its proceedings as the government had promised to proceed to the IAEA only after the panel came out with its findings. PTI
B.S.P. members first created ruckus during Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's speech on the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's confidence, forcing Speaker Somnath Chatterjee to adjourn the House for lunch asking the Amethi MP to make hisstatement after lunch hour.
As the House reassembled, B.S.P. leader Brajesh Pathak alleged that the Congress leadership was using C.B.I. to "pressurise" his party and its leader Mayawati to support theUPA government in today's confidence vote.
He claimed that the investigating officer had given a clean chit to Mayawati in the disproportionate assets case but it was being reopened "at the level of the C.B.I. director." "We were told to take a decision (of supporting U.P.A.) or face consequences," he said referring to a CBI officer,whom he did not name.
Pathak, waiving papers pertaining to investigations into the Mayawati case, sought an independent inquiry into theissue by a House Committee.
Chatterjee agreed to receive the "papers" and said: "I am sending the papers to the Home Minister for an investigation." But later asked Home Minister Shivraj Patil to return the papers after protests from BSP that they did not havefaith in the government.
"I promise I will give serious through (to thedemand)," the Speaker said.
When other B.S.P. members claimed that C.B.I. was pressuring them to vote in favour of the government, Chatterjee said the members were free to cast their vote according to their conscience and they had his "full protection." Basudev Acharya (C.P.M.), Guru Das Gupta (C.P.I.) and Anant Geete (Shiv Sena) supported the B.S.P's demand saying the allegations were serious in nature and should be inquiredby a House Committee.
Their demand was opposed by Beni Prasad Varma (S.P.) amid calls from treasury benches that the allegations werefabricated.
Anant Kumar (B.J.P.) said the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had kept the entire nation in dark about the nuclear deal and its consequences and likened it to the 1989 Boforsdeal.
"The people of the country are going to punish the Congress." He asked Prime Minister to explain if the deal would put a permanent moratorium on nuclear tests and if the Hyde Act of U.S. was applicable to plants out of the purview of thedeal.
The B.J.P. leader also asked if the deal would put Indiaat equal footing with the other five nuclear nations.
Railway Minister Lalu Prasad said the Prime Ministerhad taken a courageous step.
Adding humour to the debate, he said everybody aspires to become Prime Minister. "Even I do but I am not in a tearing hurry." When B.S.P. members protested, Prasad said in the existing socio-political setup, no one would like to have "Mayawati, Lalu Prasad or Mulayam Singh as the Prime Minister." He took a dig at Left parties saying that they are cutting the branch on which they were sitting but hastened to add that "char saal pehle hamein tum se pyar tha, aaj bhi hai aur kal bhi rahega (we were in love with you four years ago, we are in love even today and we will remain in love in future)." After reciting the lines of the famous Hindi film song of yesteryears, the RJD supremo again referred to the Left members and recited "o door ke musaphir, aa jao' (oh travellerof faraway places, come back).
Prasad lambasted the Bharatiya Janata Party including its leader Advani for "neither referring to the United States or the nuclear deal" and asked NDA Chairman George Fernandes, who was present in the House, "why are you, who taught Mulayam and me socialism, now sitting with them (BJP)." Acharia asked the Prime Minister to clarify whether the Left-UPA Committee had concluded its proceedings as the government had promised to proceed to the IAEA only after the panel came out with its findings. PTI
