PM under fire for taking Soren on board
The issue of Shibu Soren, who resigned from the Union cabinet following his conviction in a murder case, rocked both the Houses of Parliament with the Opposition targeting the prime minister for inducting tainted Parliamentarians in his Cabinet.
By TNN |
NEW DELHI: The issue of Shibu Soren, who resigned from the Union cabinet following his conviction in a murder case, rocked both the Houses of Parliament with the Opposition targeting the prime minister for inducting tainted Parliamentarians in his Cabinet.
The ruling alliance hit back by reminding the BJP that its leader LK Advani had continued as deputy prime minister in the NDA regime despite being charge-sheeted in the Babri Masjid demolition case. The heated exchanges resulted in abrupt adjournments of both the Houses in the first half.
Right from the word go, the Opposition seized the opportunity to embarrass the government. Mr Advani said in the Lok Sabha that the conviction of a Cabinet minister in a murder case was an “unprecedented” development in the annals of Indian Parliament and the situation created by it was “extraordinary”.
The Prime Minister, he demanded, should clarify his position in Parliament and tender an apology to the nation for re-inducting Mr Soren as he should have known that the CBI, which is under his charge, was probing a murder case against the former coal minister.
Parliamentary affairs minister PR Dasmunsi rejected the Opposition demand and said the prime minister had, in fact, upheld the “highest values” by seeking the resignation of Mr Soren from the Cabinet soon after the court verdict. He reminded Mr Advani that he was not yet free from the charges in the Babri case and that he has no moral right to seek an explanation from the prime minister.
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Mr Advani replied that he was “proud” to be associated with the Ayodhya movement, but had “regretted” the demolition of the disputed structure. At this juncture, CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta’s certain comments against Mr Advani, which were expunged by the Chair, brought agitated BJP members into the well forcing speaker Somnath Chatterjee to adjourn the House before lunch.The Rajya Sabha, too, witnessed acrimonious scenes over the issue. The leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Jaswant Singh, said an unusual situation had arisen due to the conviction of a serving member of the Union Cabinet for murder.
He also said the prime minister should explain to the House the circumstances under which Mr Soren was re-inducted into the Cabinet despite being charge-sheeted for the murder of his former secretary. The Congress members protested against this, leading to bouts of slogan shouting from both sides, resulting in the adjournment of the House for some time.
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