The Hindu : BJP MLA creates a flutter in Assembly

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Feb 27, 2003

National

National

BJP MLA creates a flutter in Assembly

By Our Staff Correspondent

JAIPUR FEB. 26. A BJP MLA and former Minister, Madan Dilawar, caused a flutter in the Rajasthan Assembly today by bringing a trident, made of thermocol, to the House and warned the Congress(I)-led Government of "serious consequences'' if it went ahead with the proposal to ban the Vishwa Hindu Parishad's trishul distribution programmes across the State.

``Any talk of a ban on trishuls amounts to an insult to Hindu society. Hindus will never tolerate such a move,'' Mr. Dilawar threatened while waving the trident at the Treasury benches from his seat. The reticent State Government has been vacillating over the demand from certain quarters for the ban for the past fortnight.

Mr. Dilawar waved the trident while making a special mention, after zero hour, about some Bajrang Dal activists in his constituency being booked for their objectionable activities.

The member went ahead, despite interruptions by the ruling Congress MLAs, to describe in detail how the distribution of tridents in special ceremonies was "promoting nationalism among the youth and preparing them to wage a war against anti-national elements and terrorists''.

``Mosques and madrassas have turned into breeding grounds for terrorists. Instead of banning them, the Government is planning to prohibit distribution of trishuls by nationalist forces. It is indeed a matter of shame,'' Mr. Dilawar declared. When the Treasury members protested, several BJP MLAs joined Mr. Dilawar to ''assure'' them that the campaign was directed at "anti-national elements'' and not against them.

Even as the Chief Whip of the ruling party, Hari Singh Mahuwa, demanded amid the din that the trident brought by Mr. Dilawar be seized, the Law Minister, Khet Singh Rathore, stood up to make it clear that the State Government was examining the demand for proscribing trishuls and would take ``action that it deems fit''. However, the Minister stopped short of categorically assuring the House that the State Government would impose the ban on distribution of tridents. The Chief Minister, Ashok Gehlot — who has been pursuing the issue with the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister, asking them to restrain the VHP — was absent from the House during the entire theatrics. When the Deputy Speaker, Devendra Singh, asked him why he had brought the thermocol trident to the House, Mr. Dilawar came to the well and handed it over to the Chair. Mr. Singh then gave it to the Marshal for being taken outside the House. The VHP has been distributing tridents — which are in fact daggers designed cleverly to ensure exclusion from the Arms Act — in Rajasthan since 1998. The campaign has intensified following the BJP's victory in the neighbouring Gujarat Assembly polls.

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