Pandemonium in Lok Sabha over Kannaur violence

New Delhi, Mar12 : Proceedings in Parliament came to a grinding halt on Wednesday with some opposition members protesting against a demand to penalize BJP and RSS activists who were involved in an attack on the CPI (M) office in Kerala's Kannur District last Sunday.

With BJP and Left MPs' exchanging verbal volleys during the morning session, Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee had to call halt to proceedings till 2 p.m., describing the behavior of the legislators as amounting to a "murder of democracy".

Before the adjournment of proceedings, Chatterjee also announced that Parliament had decided to send a notice to Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray for his anti-Bihari comments in the party mouthpiece Samna last week.

In an editorial of the mouthpiece, Thackeray described Biharis as an 'unwanted lot' in all parts of the country, which prompted Bihar and UP MPs to initiate a privilege motion against him.

Earlier, ass soon as the House assembled, the BJP members were on their feet demanding suspension of Question Hour to take up the issue of Communist Party of India- Marxist (CPI-M) and BJP clash in Kannur District of Kerala.

Since March 9, the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) and CPI-M have been on a stand-off following reports of alleged conversions being perpetrated by the RSS in Kerala.

Kannur district has been a hotbed of political violence between the CPI-M and the BJP-RSS combine.

The current bout of violence started when an RSS leader was attacked in Thalassery town Wednesday. Three people lost their lives in retaliation by RSS and BJP activists and in counter-attacks by the CPI-M. While one person was killed Thursday, two others were murdered Friday.

BJP members demanded that the Left Democratic Front (LDF) Government in Kerala should be dismissed in the wake the Kerala High Court order for deployment of central forces to prevent political clashes in Kannur District of the state. The Left parties have objected to it strongly.

Agitated by the pandemonium, Chatterjee termed the members' behavior as "shameful".

Clashes between BJP and CPI (M) have so far resulted in killing of seven people.

ANI