BJP MPs take to Gandhigiri, offer roses to Cong members

In a sarcastic move, some Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs on Tuesday offered roses to their Congress rivals in the Lok Sabha, who were protesting inside the Well over alleged atrocities against Dalit youths in Punjab. 

When Speaker Sumitra Mahajan rejected notices for adjournment of the Question Hour, including one on the Punjab Dalit issue, Congress members trooped into the Well raising slogans against the Prime Minister and the SAD-BJP government in Punjab over the alleged chopping off of limbs of two Dalit youths at a farmhouse in Abohar.

As Congress members shouted slogans like ‘PM sharam karo’ (PM shame, shame) and ‘dismiss Punjab government’, six BJP members entered the Well and offered roses to the agitating Congress MPs. Soon some senior BJP members pulled their party colleagues out of the Well.

As soon as the House met for the day, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said she had disallowed notices of adjournment motions on different issues and the issues can be raised later.

Congress leader in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said the Dalit issue is important and his party should be allowed to raise it.

When questions were asked on farmers’ plight and insect attack on cotton crop, the Speaker said: “There is a question on farmers, but they (Congress members) have nothing to do with the farmers.” Her reference was to the Congress members, who were carrying out vociferous protest inside the Well. As she continued with the Question Hour, Congress members started clapping and raising slogans to drown the voices of members asking questions and ministers replying to them. “In reality, you don’t want to raise Dalit issue. You just want to shout. This is not fair,” Mahajan said angrily.

Amid disruptions, the Question Hour continued even as the Speaker again expressed her anguish over the din. 

“I told you to raise issue during Zero Hour but you do not listen and taking away rights of so many members...what dictatorship (you are referring to)...it is not good,” she said.