Uproar over comparision between SIMI, RSS in RS

New Delhi, Jul 26: A comparision between SIMI and the RSS made by Samajawadi Party member Janeswar Misra during the discussion on Mumbai blasts today rocked the Rajya Sabha, evoking strong protests from the Opposition NDA and leading to adjournment of the House for the day at 1715 hrs.

As the House reassembled after at 1700 hrs after an earlier adjournment over the same issue, angry opposition members including Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley, Murli Manohar Joshi (all BJP) and former Speaker Manohar Joshi (Shiv Sena) got to feet shouting slogans, and some of them came into the well of the House when the Deputy Chairman K Rehman Khan refused to accede their demand for reprimanding Mr Misra if he did not withdraw his comments.

Mr Khan, giving his ruling on a point of order, said the remarks made by the SP Member were being expunged from the proceedings of the House.

This did not satisfy the BJP Members and they kept on shouting 'SIMI Samarthak Murdabad'. Mr Joshi and Ms Swaraj asked the Home Minister Shivraj Patil, who was present in the House, to clarify if SIMI was not an anti-national and banned organisation.

However, all attempts of the Home Minister to speak failed, as the BJP members were in no mood to listen.

As all the appeals of the Deputy Chairman to BJP members to resume their seats and calm down fell on deaf ears, forcing him to announce adjournment of the House for the day.

Mr Jaitley, Ms Swaraj and Mr Joshi said it was unfortunate that a highly nationalistic organisation like the RSS was being compared with SIMI which has been banned for anti-national and seditionist activities. The said nobody was permitted to promote the interest of such an organisation either in the House or outside the House.

The trouble had started in the post lunch session when Mr Misra said that ''as far as RSS will remain in action, the SIMI will also continue.'' As soon as he made this remark, Shiv Sena members rushed to the well of the House and demanded that the ''reference to RSS should be expunged from the discussion.'' The Deputy Chairman asked the members to go back to their seats, and said that he would go through the words used by Mr Mishra and only would be in a position to take the decision.

BJP members repeatedly shouted slogans of ''RSS Zindabad''.

They even demanded that Mr Mishra should submit an apology in writing.

Mr Khan said that Mr Mishra would clarify his statement if the peace prevails in the House. But, agitated BJP members did not relent and continued with slogan shouting.

Mr Arun Jaitley (BJP) wanted to raise a point of order, but could not get a chance to do so.

In the continuing uproarious scenes, the Deputy Chairman was compelled to adjourn the House for 30 minutes.

However, when the House reassembled, the angry protests continued and the House was thrown into pandemonium when the Deputy Chairman did not accede to the BJP demand that the Member should either withdraw his comment or be reprimended. He only ordered Mr Misra's remarks to be expunged.

When all his appeal failed to pacify the Members, he adjourned the House for the day.

UNI

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