Mahatma ignored: Opp walks out

Opposition parties today staged a walkout in the Lok Sabha as homage was not paid to Mahatma Gandhi on Martyrs’ Day.

Congress chief whip Priya Renjan Dasmunsi protested against the Speaker’s ‘‘failure’’ to mention Gandhi’s name in the obituary references today. Dasmunsi said: ‘‘We regret to say that on Martyrs’ Day, the name of Mahatma Gandhi is not taken and today is the death anniversary of Gandhiji. It is a total indignity.’’

Shivraj Patil added: ‘‘We are very sorry…We don’t have enough words to protest.’’ Speaker Manohar Joshi responded stating that the President, PM and he had paid homage at Rajghat. He referred to three precedents where the Mahatma’s name was not mentioned in obituary references.

•Satyagraha
for black and brown

•In
the name of Mahatma, Cong youth attack Vice Chancellor