NEW DELHI, 23 July — Opposition MPs yesterday held up parliamentary proceedings by demanding the central government dismiss the chief of Gujarat and impose president rule on the riot-torn state.
Krishan Kant, the chairman of the Rajya Sabha, (upper house) suspended the sitting for the day after opposition parties demanded president’s rule in Gujarat.
Before the Rajya Sabha was adjourned, leader of opposition and Congress MP Manmohan Singh made a plea for discussing the Gujarat situation. "The situation in Gujarat is far from normal," he said.
The Lok Sabha, or the lower house of parliament, followed suit after being rocked by the Gujarat issue, with opposition MPs led by the Congress party trooping to the well of the house shouting slogans such as "Remove Narendra Modi", "Save the nation", and "Dismiss the Gujarat government." The western state’s chief minister, Modi, who has been lambasted by the opposition for failing to stop bloody sectarian riots, dissolved his government Friday to pave the way for fresh elections.
More than 1,000 people have died in Gujarat since Feb. 27, most of them Muslims, in riots which erupted after a mob torched a train killing 58 Hindus in the state’s Godhra town. Intermittent violence in the state still continues, although only isolated incidents have occurred in the past month. The Hindu extremist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which rules the state, was accused by opposition parties of complicity in the rioting.
When lower house speaker Maohar Joshi admonished opposition MPs for behaving badly they were quick to retort. "You are talking about the proper conduct of the house when the very constitution of India has been violated," shouted Congress leader S. Jaipal Reddy. "What Modi has done shows much more gross misuse of power. The issue should be taken up first before any other business in the house." Defying the opposition tirade, the speaker went ahead with the legislative business amid the chorus of chants by the opposition members.
After a brief adjournment for lunch, the house met again only to be adjourned for the day as the opposition continued its attack. Gujarat state elections are expected to be held in October, but the Election Commission will decide on the actual date.
Analysts suggest early elections would favor the BJP as the majority of the state’s dominant Hindu population is likely to vote for it.
They also argue that early elections will favor the BJP as a large number of Muslims are still living in refugee camps and have lost their voter identity cards while fleeing from their homes. Modi has already voiced confidence that his party will be voted back into power.
Meanwhile, rights group Amnesty International said yesterday Delhi had effectively refused its delegates access to the western state of Gujarat, where they wanted to investigate recent massacres and other human rights violations.The government had failed to issue visas by a deadline of July 12 as agreed with its representatives in London, the group said in a statement.
"Amnesty International believes that the refusal of the Indian government to grant access to the state will only reinforce the concerns that the government of Gujarat and the state police might have been accomplices in ...allowing (the violence) to occur and could be now attempting to cover up involvement of their officials."
An Indian External Affairs Ministry spokeswoman said she had "no information" about the matter. Rights activists have accused the government of complicity in the riots, with police allegedly turning a blind or even sympathetic eye to reprisal attacks on Muslims.
