NEW DELHI: Congress I members on April 4 staged a noisy walkout in the Lok Sabha after Speaker Rabi Ray refused to admit their adjournment motion on the death of 36 persons in Tuesdays bomb explosion in Batala.
After nearly 15 minutes of uproar during zero hour, the speaker ruled that he was admitting a discussion on the killings under 193 but had not given consent to an adjournment motion.
Former federal minister Vasant Sathe said a UN precedent event had taken place in Punjab, It was a serious matter and showed that the very administration in the state had totally collapsed, he said.
He said in view of the seriousness of the situation, the Congress I had given notice of an adjournment motion and should be taken up as soon as the constitution bill on extension of Presidents rule was introduced.
BJP member Madan Lal Khurana expressing concern over the killings said people of the country wanted to know how long innocents will continue to get killed in Punjab. He said a discussion under rule 193 should be held for which he had given a notice.
G.M Banatwala, [UML supported the adjournment motion on Punjab. He also drew attention to the serious question of communal violence spreading in Gujarat. He said the home minister, should make a statement on it.
Yamuna Prasad Shastri of the Janata Dal pleaded that last nine years and this government should not be held responsible for this. He felt the matter could be raised in the form of a calling attention motion but should’ not be taken up as an adjournment motion.
Saif ud din Soz, National Conference, supported the adjustment motion given up by the Congress I.
Speaker Rabi Ray observed that he was admitting a discussion on Wednesday itself on the issue on the basis of notice given by a Congress I member but was not admitting their adjournment motion. This was greeted with shouts of “no, no” from Congress I benches.
Janardhan Poojary, Congress I said it was a serious matter and this kind of a massacre had not happened before.
After pleading with the chair for a while, Congress I members led by Vasant Sathe, left the house raising shouts of “‘shame.”
Article extracted from this publication >> April 13, 1990
