Parliament Day 2: Smriti Irani quotes Durga poster, Congress forces adjournment

NEW DELHI: The confrontation between the Centre and its opponents over police action against JNU students as well as the suicide of Hyderabad University student Rohith Vemula shifted to RS on Thursday, with Congress forcing the proceedings to be adjourned.

Congress members trooped into the well after HRD minister Smriti Irani did not heed their demand to stop reading from a pamphlet brought out by a section of JNU students which had derogatory references to goddess Durga. Deputy Congress leader in RS Anand Sharma asked Irani not to quote the pamphlet, arguing it would set a dangerous precedent.

Irani, who had quoted from the pamphlet in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday to support her theme about the “depraved mentality” of a section of JNU students, insisted that she be allowed to cite it again. She also rejected the charge of saffronisation of education and to buttress her point, cited the case of a Left MP’s wife who was appointed by the NDA regime as an ICHR member.

Congress’ resistance came against the backdrop of realisation that by walking out of LS on Wednesday, it gave the Centre a walkover.

Earlier in the day, CPM’s Sitaram Yechury initiated the debate, attacking the government for interfering in the affairs of higher educational institutions and forcing its definition of nationalism on everyone. He demanded a parliamentary panel be formed to look into what happened in JNU and Hyderabad. He was later supported by leader of opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad who added that the panel be headed by an opposition leader.

But just like in the LS on Wednesday, the government matched the aggression of its rivals, with BJP member Bhupendra Yadav taking off from where HRD minister and his other BJP colleagues had left on Wednesday. Yadav charged Congress and Left with glossing over the alleged anti-national activities and of attacking the government unfairly.