BJP's behaviour unethical in Parliament: Dasmunsi

New Delhi, Mar 8: Reacting sharply to the uproar created by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members over the Varanasi blasts leading to the adjournment of both Houses of Parliament today (Mar 8, 2006), Parliamentary Affairs Minister P R Dasmunsi said the opposition had exhibited ''shockingly unruly behaviour'' unbecoming of parliamentarians and aimed taking political mileage out of the incident.

''For narrow political ends, the BJP went back on its commitment to the Lok Sabha Speaker that the treasury and opposition benches would offer a joint condolence to those who lost their lives in the blasts to convey a message to the countrymen that communalism had no place in democratic policy,'' Mr Dasmunsi told mediapersons here.

He said the BJP members ''stooped too low'' in using unparliamentary language against Congress president Sonia Gandhi in the House, even as she rushed to the site of the blasts and asked the central government to extend full support to the UP administration in maintaining peace and harmony while instructing partymen to work in that direction.

''How could one interpret the prompt visit of Ms Gandhi as politicking,'' Mr Dasmunsi asked when his attention was drawn towards Samajwadi Party members' allegations that the UPA chairperson was playing politics on the Varanasi blasts.

During the NDA government, Mr Dasmunsi said, a number of such attacks had taken place including at Akshardham and Raghunath temples and also on Amarnath yatris, but the Congress never resorted to such ''hooliganism'' in Parliament and fully cooperated with the then Prime Minister A B Vajpayee in restoring peace and communal amity.

Besides, on International Women Day today the parliamentarians lost the opportunity to extend their support to the women's cause as was being done the world over.

The Minister said now the government would approach the chairpersons of both Houses to allow the taking up of pending proceedings in place of private members' bill on Friday.

Mr Dasmunsi, however, expressed hope that the BJP would see reason and allow the normal functioning of Parliament from tomorrow.

UNI