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Journalism of Courage
A day after Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena MNS activists attacked North Indian candidates appearing for a Railway examination in Mumbai, the matter came up for a heated discussion in the Lok Sabha, finally leading to its adjournment almost an hour before schedule.
BJP MP Kharabela Swain8217;s remark that only people from Bihar, that too belonging to a particular caste and religion, had got 70 per cent of the jobs in Group D Railway Services in Orissa led to an uproar, causing the final adjournment on Monday. He further alleged that only people from Bihar had been appointed to the Zonal Railways Users8217; Consultative Committees in some zones. Insinuating misconduct, Swain also pointed out that Oriyas could crack the IAS exam but not a Railways exam.
Even as Samajwadi Party8217;s Ramji Lal Suman demanded an immediate ban on MNS and said Thackeray had been targeting north Indians for a long time, BJP8217;s Shahnawaz Hussain asked that while people from India could go all over the world to work, would they now 8220;need a work permit from Thackeray to work in Maharashtra?8221;
Calling Raj Thackeray a 8220;mentally bankrupt person8221; JDU8217;s Rajiv Ranjan Singh wondered why the Central Government could do nothing to control him. He also dared the Centre to give a notice to the Maharashtra Government under Article 355 .
As a counterpoint, Shiv Sena8217;s Anant Geete said that there were more than 42 lakh educated unemployed youth in Maharashtra and that it was the faulty methods adopted by the Railway Recruitment Board RRB that led to the violence since these jobs were not advertised in regional and Marathi newspapers.
CPI8217;s Gurudas Dasgupta said there was something 8220;fundamentally wrong8221; with Maharashtra, adding that the country would split if such situations were allowed to continue. He also accused the Congress Government of playing soft on the matter since it was afraid of Marathi chauvinism.
Earlier, the morning session of the House began on a stormy note with several uproarious scenes erupting, marked by repeated adjournments. Members vied with one another to raise different issues.
Most Opposition members and even those belonging to UPA constituents like DMK and RJD were standing when the House assembled. However, BSP members Iliyas Azmi and Akbar Ahmed 8216;Dumpy8217; stood out when they walked into the well. Sporting pink-and-white Arabian scarves, they protested against the Jamia Nagar encounter. Speaker Somnath Chatterjee adjourned the House till noon without taking up Question Hour.
Trouble erupted again at noon. Independent member from Assam S K Bwismuthiary and two PMK members came into the well. Minister for External Affairs Pranab Mukherjee tabled his statement on the India-US nuclear deal amidst din. After this, Chatterjee asked Bwismuthiary to speak. The member, after giving a broad account of the Muslim-Bodo violence, demanded a high-level inquiry into the clashes. As he was speaking, Mohammad Salim of the CPIM interrupted him and started speaking along side.
Bwismuthiary came into the well, squatted on the floor and even took off his traditional Bodo gown. When persuaded by Congress chief whip Madhusudan Mistry to get up, Bwismuthiary, instead of returning to his seat, squatted on the side of the Treasury Benches. He could be persuaded to return to his seat only with a lot of effort. But the storm erupted again when members belonging to the SP, RJD, BJD, Shiv Sena, CPI and CPIM started speaking simultaneously forcing the Speaker to adjourn the House till 4 pm.
