Congress protests after LS speaker lets Harsimrat make statement
Wednesday, 13/05/2015
http://paper.hindustantimes.com/epaper/viewer.aspx
NEW DELHI: The Congress resorted to noisy protests and questioned, for the first time, Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan’s impartiality after she allowed Union food processing minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal to make a statement on the cancellation of a food park in Amethi.
Alleging that the issue had been allowed to be raised repeatedly in the House, Congress MP from Rohtak Deepender Hooda said, “This is not natural justice. This is not acceptable. It is not a personal aspersion. We believe that the Chair has not been fair.”
Even as members of the ruling side protested that the speaker can’t be threatened, Mahajan asked Deepender, “Are you challenging me?” Mahajan rejected the Congress allegations, and said, “If you do not want me as the speaker, I have nothing to say.”
Congress protests resulted in two rounds of adjournments of the House. Later, Deepender regretted his remarks.
Last week, Congress vicepresident Rahul Gandhi had alleged in the House that the proposed food park in Amethi has been scrapped. BJP MP Kirit Somaiya moved a privilege motion against Rahul for misrepresenting facts, and ministers came out in defence of the government on a number of occasions over the issue.
Harsimrat, whose earlier speech attacking Rahul was partially expunged, stood up to give a detailed statement that showed how, during the UPA government’s tenure, the project could not take off.
