Intolerance not new; BJP cites MHA figures, says communal violence down

New Delhi: Mr Bhartruhari Mahtab of the Biju Janata Dal sided with the Treasury benches and quoted the rule book to say that an allegation against a minister or member cannot be made without giving prior notice.

Mr Saugata Roy, whose Trinamul Congress is a bitter rival of the CPM, batted for Mr Salim by citing another rule. Amid the uproar, Mr Salim walked to the Lok Sabha secretary-general and authenticated the news magazine article on the basis of which he had made the comments against Mr Singh. The Speaker then adjourned the House for an hour amid verbal clashes.

However, when the Lok Sabha reassembled after the adjournment, Mr Salim refused to yield to the Treasury benches’ request to take back his comments or apologise, due to which the House had to be adjourned three more times.

The logjam was resolved later in the evening when the Speaker expunged the remarks made by Mr Salim against the home minister. This paved the way for the resumption of the debate during which Opposition parties like the CPM and Congress attacked the government, alleging that intolerance had increased since the NDA government came to power.

The BJP hit back by saying that the incidents being projected by the Opposition as examples of “intolerance” had been taking place in the country for decades. BJP member Meenakshi Lekhi also cited home ministry figures to insist that incidents of communal violence had come down since the NDA came to power. Mr Salim also alleged that “intolerance” was on the rise.

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