Amar apologises to Ahluwalia for scuffle

NEW DELHI: Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh today apologised to BJP Rajya Sabha member S S Ahluwalia for his conduct in the Rajya Sabha, which witnessed a scuffle soon after the Liberhan Commission report was tabled.

Singh apologised to Ahluwalia while re-entering the House shortly before it reconvened.

Singh told reporters, "I will apologise to him as I had no intentions to hurt Ahluwalia. I am sorry if he is hurt by my actions."

As the Home Minister earlier rose to lay a copy of the report during Zero Hour, the BJP members started chanting "Jai Sriram".

This infuriated SP member Amar Singh who led his party colleagues to Ahluwalia in the front row and pounced upon him by catching his collar.

Singh and Ahluwalia were separated by their party colleagues.

The unruly scene upset Deputy Chairman K Rahman Khan so much that he left the Chair without even announcing that it was being adjourned.

Claiming that he was a "greater Ram Bhakt than Ahluwalia", he said, "I read Hanuman Chalisa daily, but chanting 'Jai Shri Ram' in the House was not proper."

When asked to comment on the Congress party's remark that the scuffle was a stage managed exercise by both SP and BJP, he said, "Congress used us last year when it took our support during the vote of confidence.

"Now, they have forgotten me and my party's contribution in saving the previous UPA government."