Beni Prasad Verma’s remark on Mulayam rocks Parliament
19 March 2013 1:26 AM GMT
Once comrade and now bitter foe, union minister Beni Prasad Verma, came under severe attack from Samajwadi Party members over his remark that their party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav has ‘terrorist links’. There was such aggressive verbal duel on Monday that Lok Sabha had to be adjourned for the day. SP members disrupted the Lok Sabha demanding Prasad’s removal from the cabinet.
Verma stirred a hornet’s nest by the remark in Lok Sabha when SP members stormed the Well demanding an apology and removal of the steel minister for his alleged statement that all Muslims are terrorists. Prasad immediately clarified that he had not made any such statement and so there was no question of an apology. ‘Where is the proof that I have said such a thing? I did not link terrorism to any religion.’
As SP members continued to raise slogans from the well, Verma added fuel to the fire by saying, ‘For me, terrorism has no religion, no colour. The demolition of Babri Masjid and the post-Godhra riots are also terrorist incidents. But he (Mulayam) joined hands with those who demolished Babri Masjid, like Kalyan Singh. His party also helped the BJP to win in Gujarat.’
This triggered fresh protests in the Lok Sabha which saw three adjournments earlier before the House was adjourned for the day. The Rajya Sabha also witnessed one adjournment before the Chair called it a day.
Reacting to Prasad’s comment, Mulayam Singh said, ‘Such a minister should be sacked.’ He went on to say, ‘We have always fought against injustice. We will not tolerate atrocities against the Muslim community.’
Amid demands by the SP for his dismissal from the government, the Congress dismissed Prasad’s remark. ‘In politics everyone should observe restraint in use of language. Mulayam Singh Yadav is the head of the supporting party of the government. Verma is a minister in that government,’ Congress general secretary Janardan Dwivedi told reporters here.
Verma stirred a hornet’s nest by the remark in Lok Sabha when SP members stormed the Well demanding an apology and removal of the steel minister for his alleged statement that all Muslims are terrorists. Prasad immediately clarified that he had not made any such statement and so there was no question of an apology. ‘Where is the proof that I have said such a thing? I did not link terrorism to any religion.’
As SP members continued to raise slogans from the well, Verma added fuel to the fire by saying, ‘For me, terrorism has no religion, no colour. The demolition of Babri Masjid and the post-Godhra riots are also terrorist incidents. But he (Mulayam) joined hands with those who demolished Babri Masjid, like Kalyan Singh. His party also helped the BJP to win in Gujarat.’
This triggered fresh protests in the Lok Sabha which saw three adjournments earlier before the House was adjourned for the day. The Rajya Sabha also witnessed one adjournment before the Chair called it a day.
Reacting to Prasad’s comment, Mulayam Singh said, ‘Such a minister should be sacked.’ He went on to say, ‘We have always fought against injustice. We will not tolerate atrocities against the Muslim community.’
Amid demands by the SP for his dismissal from the government, the Congress dismissed Prasad’s remark. ‘In politics everyone should observe restraint in use of language. Mulayam Singh Yadav is the head of the supporting party of the government. Verma is a minister in that government,’ Congress general secretary Janardan Dwivedi told reporters here.
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