New Delhi: Uproar continued in Parliament for the second consecutive day over the hate speech made by Union minister Sadhavi Niranjan Jyoti. Here are the updates:
2:05 pm: Rajya Sabha adjourned for 30 minutes soon after lunch amid Opposition uproar over Union Minister Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti's remarks.
Also Read: No question of Sadhvi Niranjan resigning, says Venkaiah Naidu
2:00 pm: Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu has ruled out minister Niranjan Jyoti's resignation. “There is no question of resignation of Union Minister Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti,” Naidu said.
12:24 pm: Rajya Sabha has been adjourned till 2:00 pm amid uproar over Niranjan Jyoti's controversial remarks.
12:14 pm: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is making a statement in the Lok Sabha on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent foreign visits.
12:10 pm: Union minister Venkaiah Naidu is now speaking in Lok Sabha on the Niranjan Jyoti issue. He says the government has made it clear that it is ready for discussion on any matter.
12:09 pm: Home Minister makes a statement in Lok Sabha on the Naxal attack in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district. He reiterates the government is committed to fighting Naxals with full force. He says government policies have weakened Maoists, and their activities have seen a fall since 2011. He added that the government, apart from using force against Maoists, is also focussing on development activities in affected areas.
12:02 pm: As Upper House reconvenes, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi asks Rajya Sabha members to let the House function. However, the uproar continues and Chairman Hamid Ansari has adjourned the House for 15 minutes.
11:57 am: Uproar continues in Lok Sabha as well. There, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi says Union Minister Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti's remarks are completely wrong.
11:56 am: Rajya Sabha has been adjourned till 12:00 noon.
11:50 am: Opposition MPs are stressing on the point that action against the minister should be taken inside the House as well. They reject government argument that since the minister made the remarks outside the Parliament, proceedings will take place outside the House.
11:45 am: What the minister has effectively said that is that Sitaram is ha***zada - Yechury
11:44 am: We feel shame in repeating what the minister (Niranjan Jyoti) has said - Yechury
11:42 am: A mere apology is unacceptable - Yechury
11:41 am: We have noted Venkaiah Naidu's remarks that the Opposition will have to listen to the government for five years. But the government should remember that the government will also have to listen to the Opposition for five years - Yechury
11:40 am: The Deputy Speaker has called CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury to speak on the matter.
11:38 am: We don't accept apology; Prime Minister should come to the House and sack the minister - Sharma
11:38 am: It is a cognisable and non-compoundable crime, punishable upto three years, says Anand Sharma
11:36 am: Congress leader Anand Sharma says the matter is serious and an apology only does not put it to rest.
11:33 am: Proceedings resume in Rajya Sabha.
11:23 am: Amid continuing uproar, the Rajya Sabha is adjourned for 10 minutes.
11:20 am: Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien tells protesting MPs that he is “not going to adjourn the House”.
11:15 am: Amid din, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh reads out his statement on Monday's Naxal attack in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district. The minister had visited the state yesterday to assess the situation there.
11:10 am: Union minister Venkaiah Naidu dubs Opposition demands as baseless, says the minister has already expressed her regrets.
11:05 am: Congress, TMC, SP and Left MPs raise slogans in Rajya Sabha demanding Niranjan Jyoti's resignation.
11:02 am: Uproar continues as Rajya Sabha convenes. Opposition MPs press for demand of Union minister Sadhavi Niranjan Jyoti's sacking.
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Earlier story: Even though Union Minister of State for Food Processing Industries Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti expressed regret in Parliament on Tuesday for using abusive language at a party rally in the national capital on Monday, the Congress is likely to raise the issue again on Wednesday and as per party sources, they would use their might in Rajya Sabha to stall the business.
Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti had yesterday said that she was taking back her controversial remark. “I take back my words and offer regret. However, if the House feels so, I am also ready to seek an apology,” the BJP leader said. In the Lok Sabha, she said, “My intention was not to hurt anyone. If my speech has hurt anyone, I express my deep regrets.”
The Opposition, however, remained adamant and demanded her sacking, saying a mere apology will not suffice and she will have to resign.
The government, however, said that the matter was closed with the minister expressing regret. But, Congress members indicated that they intended to press the issue in the Rajya Sabha further.
Addressing a meeting of the BJP parliamentary board, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also asked party MPs to be cautious when making comments in public.
Niranjan Jyoti had reportedly said at the public meeting: "Aapko tay karna hai ki Dilli mein sarkar Ramzadon ki banegi ya ha***zadon ki. (You have to decide if you want a government in Delhi to be led by children of Lord Ram or illegitimate children)."
The comment created an uproar in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. While the uproar in the lower house settled after Jyoti offered to apologise, members in the Rajya Sabha refused to back down, and demanded that she be sacked from the Council of Ministers.
While the party’s strategy is to block business in the Rajya Sabha today, on the demand to sack Niranjan Jyoti, it’s tactics for the Lok Sabha are yet to become clear.
“We will not allow the Rajya Sabha to function tomorrow unless the government files an FIR against Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti and drops her from the Cabinet,” a Congress leader had said yesterday.
(With agency inputs)
