The Rajya Sabha on Thursday witnessed three adjournments in the pre-lunch session after an uproar over former union minister and Congress member Kumari Selja's remark that she was asked about her caste at a temple in Gujarat.
The Congress disrupted the Rajya Sabha over union minister Piyush Goyal's statement that party leader Kumari Selja has "manufactured discrimination" over her remark that she was asked about her caste at a temple in Gujrat.
The disruption continued despite the minister offering his regrets on the issue.
The upper house also witnessed several adjournments in the pre-lunch session before the house agreed to discuss a calling attention motion on the situation in Nepal and the state of India-Nepal ties by Janata Dal-United leader Pawan Kumar Verma.
"In view of the chair's decision to review the record... I regret the comments made with reference to my distinguished colleague Kumari Selja," Goyal said.
On Wednesday, Leader of the House Arun Jaitley referred to Selja's comment made during the discussion on constitution and said that contrary to her claim, Selja's comments in the visitors' book of the temple were full of "complimentary words".
ATTACK ON V K SINGH
The Rajya Sabha was disrupted again by BSP members who objected to the presence of Minister of State for External Affairs Gen. V.K. Singh (retd) and demanded he be sent out of the house as he had "violated" his oath to the constitution.
The Rajya Sabha had taken up the Prevention of Corruption Amendment Bill, 2013, when the former army chief entered the house. Instantly, Bahujan Samaj Party leader Satish Chandra Misra objected to his presence.
"You are custodian of this house and you are responsible for seeing that only those entitled sit here," Misra said addressing Deputy Chairman P.J. Kurien.
"V.K. Singh is here and he is not entitled to sit in house because he insulted the constitution. You do not know how to address people... You used such words for Dalits. You took oath under the constituion which says all human beings are equal. You cannot take name of an animal while talking about a human being. He should leave the house on his own," he said.
While both government members and the chair said the minister had all rights to sit in the house, BSP members left their seats and trooped near the chairman's podium, shouting "V.K. Singh go back".
In the ruckus, the house was adjourned for 10 minutes.
When the house met again, BSP remained adamant with Misra saying: "A minister who compares human beings to animals has no right to sit in this house".
An angry Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu accused the party of caste politics".
"Do your politics outside. This is a wrong allegation. He has not violated constitution.. you did politics on caste basis," he said.
He rejected their demand, saying: "There is no question, this government has mandate and V.K. Singh is an elected member."
BSP members again came towards the the chairman's podium raising slogans and forcing another 10 minute long adjournment.
When the house met afterwards, the Congress joined the BSP and its member Pramod Tiwari said government does not want to run the house.
"Government does not want to run the house, that is why the person who violated the constitution is sitting here..." Tiwari said.
However, as Home Minister Rajnath Singh came to make remarks on the Chennai floods, the opposition members settled down, calling it an issue of national importance, but after that the issue was taken up again, and opposition members sought that the prevention of corruption bill shall be taken up later, to which the government and the chair eventually agreed.
