Serial blasts issue rocks Mah Assembly; adjourned twice

Mumbai, July 12 (UNI) The serial bomb blasts incident in suburban Western Railway trains here yesterday which left over 180 persons dead rocked the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly today with the Opposition blaming the Congress-led state Government for its intelligence failure.

The adjournment notice moved by the Opposition was accepted by the Chair after the House witnessed two adjournments.

Earlier, the Shiv Sena-BJP members were on their feet shouting slogans and displaying black banners as soon as the Lower House resumed proceedings for the day and Speaker Babasaheb Kupekar called for the question hour.

Mr Kupekar adjourned the House immediately for 20 minutes.

Later, Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh made a suo moto statement the Legislative Assembly severely condemns the bomb blasts, which was a challenge on the sovereignty of the nation.

He said the Legislative Assembly also pays tributes to the victims who perished in the blasts and salutes the grit and determination of ordinary Mumbaikars, medical practioneers, NGOs who lent support to the injured and the stranded citizens on the roads. He assured the guilty will be punished.

The House stood in silence for two minutes to mourn the deaths.

Leader of Opposition Ramdas Kadam moved an adjournment notice seeking debate on the blasts. BJP leader Gopinath Munde said it was a result of the failure of the Government and intelligence agencies, and the terrorists had succeeded in executing their conspiracy to destabilise Mumbai.

He questioned the Government for the failure of disaster management.

Mr Kupekar asked Opposition members to remove the banners they had placed on their tables. To which, Mr Munde wondered how it mattered when the Opposition was peacefully participating in the proceedings.

The Speaker then said the members will have to decide whether they wanted to discuss the blasts or only show banners.

He said he was adjourning the House till the end of the question hour, till 1400 hrs.

When the House resumed, the Opposition continued to show the black banners and shouted anti-Government slogans. The Speaker then rushed to the day's agenda and told the Opposition that he would not listen to them unless they remove the banners and take their seats.

The supplementary demands for irrigation, planning, co-operation, marketing, textile, agriculture, animal husbandry, dairy development and fisheries, industries, energy and labour departments were passed without debate amid slogan-shouting. The bill to reserve 50 per cent seats in private educational institutions for ST, SC, nomadic tribes, de-notified tribes and other backward classes was also passed without debate, amid sloganeering.

Opposition members who had been sporting black badges climbed the podium and argued with the Speaker for not hearing the adjournment notice.

Mr J C Chandurkar (Congress) and others in the treasury benches criticised the behaviour of the Opposition and demanded an apology from Mr Munde. They said they will not allow the House to function, to which Mr Kupekar said, ''Do not try to take away the rights of the Speaker.'' Mr Kupekar later accepted the adjournment notice and Mr Kadam initiated the debate.

UNI MR GK PA RN1440