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Status quo in Ayodhya will not be disturbed, says Minister
By Our Special Correspondent
NEW DELHI, DEC. 7. Even as the Government reiterated in the Rajya Sabha that nobody would be allowed to violate the Supreme Court order to maintain the status quo at the disputed site at Ayodhya, the issue cast its shadow over the proceedings in the Lok Sabha which was adjourned for the day within a few minutes of the post- lunch session today.
The Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, Mr. O. Rajagopal, assured the Rajya Sabha members that the Supreme Court order on maintaining status quo in Ayodhya would be ``scrupulously adhered to''.
The assurance came after the Leader of the Opposition, Dr. Manmohan Singh, sought clarifications on a news report that five Union Ministers had attended a meeting where the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leaders talked of a plan to build the ``Ram temple''.
Dr. Singh sought to know the Government's response to the report that the Ministers ``cheered'' the VHP leader, Mr. Ashok Singhal's declaration that the temple construction would start on March 12.
He said if the report was true, then it was shocking that five Union Ministers were supporting a ``patently illegal act'' of the VHP and that such blatant defiance of law should be condemned.
Mr. Rajagopal said that the Ministers had already denied that they endorsed such a ``declaration'' and that the news report was wrong. Even the Home Minister, Mr. L.K.Advani, had told the House that no violation of the court's directive would be allowed.
In the Lok Sabha, the Opposition benches demanded an apology from the Government for not allowing the Congress chief whip, Mr. Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi, to speak.
The post-lunch session lasted for just 15 minutes with the Opposition beginning to protest as soon as the House re- assembled. The Congress, the Samajwadi Party, and the Bahujan Samaj Party members were on their feet, saying the Government's action amounted to an ``assault on the ruling of the chair''.
First the Deputy Speaker, Mr. P.M. Sayeed, requested the members to let the business go on and then Mrs. Margaret Alva, who was in the Chair, reminded the members of the recent code of conduct but to no avail.
Even the BJP member, Mr. Kirti Azad - who wanted to raise a point of order with the rule book in one hand - went unheard amid the din.
Spearheading the Opposition tirade, Mr. Dasmunshi said ``till the Government tenders an unqualified apology, we will not cooperate with it.'' He was supported by Mr. Raghuvansh Prasad Singh (RJD), Mr. Ramjilal Suman (Samajwadi Party) and Mr. Rashid Alvi (BSP) who were also seen waving the copy of an English daily which had on Thursday reported on the meeting.
Referring to the pre-lunch developments when the House was adjourned briefly, Mr. Dasmunshi claimed during zero hour that he was the first to give notice and therefore his turn to speak should come first. The MDMK member, Mr. Vaiko, got up to speak as he had also given notice. The treasury benches and Mr. Vaiko insisted that procedures be adhered to and the MDMK leader be allowed to speak first.
The Deputy Speaker said he had given the floor to Mr. Dasmunshi. As there was let-up in the uproar, he adjourned the House till 2 p.m.
Later, the BJP spokesman, Mr. Vijay Kumar Malhotra, condemned the Opposition behaviour in the Lok Sabha, saying that zero hour was not the monopoly of one party.
He charged the Opposition parties with showing scant regard for all norms of parliamentary democracy by stalling the proceedings. On the other hand, the Congress blamed the treasury benches for the disruption. Its spokesperson, Mr. S. Jaipal Reddy, charged them with challenging the decision of the Deputy Speaker saying it was something that was ``unheard of and unfortunate.'' He also criticised the Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Mr. Pramod Mahajan, for deliberately ignoring the Deputy Speaker's request to intercede with his members.
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