Force-feeding: Houses adjourned after uproar against Shiv Sena MPs
24 July 2014 6:06 AM IST
Both the Houses were adjourned on Wednesday as uproar in Parliament gathered momentum and opposition parties demanded stern action against 11
Shiv Sena MPs.
Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray blamed the media for portraying just one side of the story, even though CCTV footage showed that Rajan Vichare, MP from Thane, forcing an IRCTC official to eat a chapati and rest 10 MPs were seen backing him. However, Vichare later claimed that he was not aware of the victim’s religious identity and was ready to apologise.
‘There was no intention to hurt anybody’s religious sentiments,’ he said. Congress leader while criticising the act of MPs, said, ‘The incident is highly reprehensible and a crime against secularism in the country.’
Protesting the 17 July incident, IRCTC has stopped all operations in the Sadan and lodged a complaint with the Maharashtra resident commissioner Bipin Mallick. IRCTC deputy general manager Shankar Malhotra too wrote a letter to Mallick alleging that the MPs misbehaved with its staff and forced the resident manager Arshad to eat a chapati during Ramadan.
While Congress, RJD, TMC, PDP, AIADMK members raised the issue in Parliament, parliamentary affairs minister M Venkaiah Naidu said the issue could not be ascertained due to lack of credible information.
PM Narendra Modi as well as top BJP leaders including Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, Uma Bharati and Najma Heptulla, refused to comment while LK Advani was visibly irked as BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri squabbled with All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen MP, Asaduddin Owaisi in the Lok Sabha over the issue. Meanwhile, the Maharashtra government has said it is examining the matter and if found guilty then appropriate action will be taken against the MPs. I&B minister Prakash Javadekar said, ‘The government will probe the facts.’
Shiv Sena MPs.
Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray blamed the media for portraying just one side of the story, even though CCTV footage showed that Rajan Vichare, MP from Thane, forcing an IRCTC official to eat a chapati and rest 10 MPs were seen backing him. However, Vichare later claimed that he was not aware of the victim’s religious identity and was ready to apologise.
‘There was no intention to hurt anybody’s religious sentiments,’ he said. Congress leader while criticising the act of MPs, said, ‘The incident is highly reprehensible and a crime against secularism in the country.’
Protesting the 17 July incident, IRCTC has stopped all operations in the Sadan and lodged a complaint with the Maharashtra resident commissioner Bipin Mallick. IRCTC deputy general manager Shankar Malhotra too wrote a letter to Mallick alleging that the MPs misbehaved with its staff and forced the resident manager Arshad to eat a chapati during Ramadan.
While Congress, RJD, TMC, PDP, AIADMK members raised the issue in Parliament, parliamentary affairs minister M Venkaiah Naidu said the issue could not be ascertained due to lack of credible information.
PM Narendra Modi as well as top BJP leaders including Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, Uma Bharati and Najma Heptulla, refused to comment while LK Advani was visibly irked as BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri squabbled with All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen MP, Asaduddin Owaisi in the Lok Sabha over the issue. Meanwhile, the Maharashtra government has said it is examining the matter and if found guilty then appropriate action will be taken against the MPs. I&B minister Prakash Javadekar said, ‘The government will probe the facts.’
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