The Hindu : Opposition demands President's rule in Gujarat

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jul 23, 2002

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Opposition demands President's rule in Gujarat

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI JULY 22. The Gujarat Assembly dissolution rocked Parliament today as a united Opposition displayed its ire and demanded that the Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, be dismissed and that the State be brought under President's rule.

Both the Houses were adjourned for the day amid uproarious scenes, as an unrelenting Opposition wanted the suspension of question hour and a discussion on the Gujarat issue. The Opposition unity, which had come under strain over the presidential elections, was evident for the first time in the current session when it successfully stalled the proceedings in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.

The Rajya Sabha Chairman, Krishan Kant, adjourned the House for an hour soon after it met, following tumultuous scenes for about 20 minutes.

The Opposition raised the pitch by demanding President's rule while the ruling coalition benches countered it by backing the plan to hold elections. The House, originally scheduled to discuss the Gujarat issue on Wednesday, is likely to take it up tomorrow, in view of the latest development.

The scene was no different in the Lok Sabha where the turmoil began as soon as it met, with the Congress members, S. Jaipal Reddy and Priyaranjan Das Munshi, alleging that the constitutional machinery in Gujarat had broken down.

They wanted question hour suspended to discuss the issue.

Within minutes, the Opposition members, including those from the Congress, the Samajwadi Party, the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Republican Party, entered the well of the House and raised slogans such as "Modi Hatao, Desh Bachao'' (Remove Modi, save the nation) and "we want Article 356 (imposition of President's rule).''

The sloganeering drowned question hour even as the Speaker, Manohar Joshi, refused to give in and repeatedly urged the members to go back to their seats. "I will listen to you when you go back to your seats... no point in coming here. Please don't do injustice to the members who have asked questions,'' he said and asked the Ministers to respond to the questions.

The Leader of the Opposition, Sonia Gandhi, was engrossed in discussions with senior members of her party such as P. M. Sayeed, Shivraj Patil and others. The former Prime Minister, H. D. Deve Gowda, was also conferring with Mr. Das Munshi.

As question hour was about to end, the Opposition members again shouted slogans, raising their hands in solidarity. The RJD leader, Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, raised a point of order saying that Rule 375 did not permit the conduct of business when there was disturbance. On the other hand, the Congress members quoted the reported comments of Mr. Modi and wanted him to be summoned before the Bar of the House. The Speaker warned the members of action if they did not return to their seats but to no avail. He then adjourned the House till 2 p.m.

The situation was no better when the House resumed session, and within minutes the Deputy Speaker, P. M. Sayeed, adjourned it for the day.

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