Laloo too late to make statement

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad rose to disagree with BJP Deputy Leader in the House Sushma Swaraj who said the statement had to be made in both the Houses on the same day and, therefore, Yadav’s statement could not be taken up today. The Lok Sabha had already been adjourned for the day then.

Azad argued that both the Houses had their own sets of rules and were independent, but in vain. Even CPI(M) member Dipankar Mukherjee’s plea that it was unfortunate that despite the minister’s presence, the members were being deprived of the latest report on the rail accident did not cut much ice. BJP’s chief whip S.S. Ahluwalia instead said Laloo had already spoken to TV channels about the mishap.

Amid the heated exchange, Deputy Chairman K. Rahman Khan — after re-checking Shekhawat’s ruling — refused to allow a statement on the train accident by the Railway Minister, triggering protests from the Treasury benches.

Then, keeping Laloo waiting, Azad quickly consulted the Deputy Chairman and informed the Treasury benches that the statement could only be made tomorrow. This triggered protests from the ruling party members and the House had to be adjourned.

A little before Laloo made his dramatic appearence, Leader of the Opposition Jaswant Singh, interrupting a discussion on internal security, wanted to know the whereabouts of the Railway Minister.

‘‘We are waiting for a statement about the tragic accident in Punjab. He has made a serious statement outside, he has called it a murder…Where is the minister? This is a serious issue. Where is he?’’ Singh asked. This led to an uproar with Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Suresh Pachauri saying it was for the Government to decide who would make the statement and the MoS Railways was present in the House for that.

Shekhawat then intervened, saying he did not know where the minister was, though he (Laloo) was expected to make a statement by evening. He added that the statement could be postponed till tomorrow.