Left anguished over clash in Parliament

New Delhi, Aug 27 (UNI) Anguished over the recent clash among MPs in the Lok Sabha and their decision to raise their own salaries and allowances, the Left parties said these moves had lowered the dignity of Parliament and asked people to exert themselves in defending the 'Temple of Democracy'.

They blamed the main opposition- the BJP and its allies-- for their 'disruptive and destructive' role by forcing adjournments and calling attentions in Parliament on 'flimsy grounds' to hinder the business of the two Houses, which are the forums for debating people's concerns.

In separate interviews to UNI yesterday, the leaders of the CPI(M), CPI, Forward bloc and RSP also charged the Congress- led coalition for not showing the desired will and seriousness to implement the provisions of the Common Minimum Programme (CMP), the agreed document of governance.

On the ''unfortunate'' clash among JD(U) members and RJD chief Lalu Prasad and his brother-in-law Sadhu Yadav, CPI(M) floor leader in the House Basudeb Acharia said, '' The incident has not only lowered the dignity of the House but also signals towards growing criminalisation of politics. We hope that an incident like this will not be repeated.'' CPI veteran and floor leader in the Lok Sabha Gurudas Dasgupta said the incident was a pointer towards the ''critical state'' of the nation. ''People's intervention only can retrieve the situation,''he said.

But Forward Bloc Genenral Secretary and Rajya Sabha MP Debabrata Biswas asked the guilty to tender a public apology terming ''the August 24 incident in the Lok Sabha as a black day for Indian democracy''.

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