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Journalism of Courage
Assam Assembly Speaker Tanka Bahadur Rai has ruled that the words Islamic fundamentalist be expunged from the proceedings of the House.
Prabin Kumar Gogoi of the opposition Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) had wanted to know how many Islamic fundamentalist groups were active in the state,what were their names and strength.
Even as state Forest Minister Rockybul Hussain stood up to reply to the question on behalf of CM Tarun Gogoi (who holds the Home portfolio),several members of the Assam United Democratic Front a party floated by Mumbai-based perfume baron Badruddin Ajmal objected to the use of the term Islamic as a prefix to fundamentalist and created a ruckus. A written copy of the official reply to the question,however,did contain the words Islamic and fundamentalist in addition to the names of the outfits.
Members of several other Opposition parties too joined the fray,with some like Ranjit Dutta (BJP) pressing for use of the two words together and some like Abdul Aziz (AGP) siding with the AUDF members against using the prefix while referring to fundamentalist groups.
Gogoi too intervened,making his stand clear that he was also opposed to referring to fundamental groups through their religious identities. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Bharat Chandra Narah said the word Islamic be dropped from the proceedings,to which the Speaker agreed.
Opposition leader and AGP chief Chandra Mohan Patowari tried to make a point that there was no harm in calling them Islamic fundamentalists because the US too refer to them as such.
