Calling Medha Patkar 'anti-national', BJP MPs walk out of Parliamentary panel meet

At least 11 BJP MPs walked out of a parliamentary committee protesting against the panel's decision to hear activist Medha Patkar, leading to the abrupt end of the meeting.

Former Union minister and BJP MP Parshottam Rupala was joined by other lawmakers from his party as they walked out of the meeting, with some dubbing Patkar as "anti-national".

The Standing Committee on Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, headed by Congress MP Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka, had called Patkar to hear her views on the implementation and effectiveness of the land acquisition law enacted during the UPA government in 2013. Besides Patkar, actor and activist Prakash Raj, and other experts, were invited by the panel.


Ulaka, defending his decision, said that it is a standard practice for a parliamentary committee to hear civil society members and other stakeholders on various issues.