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Din in Lok Sabha; voting delayed

Acrimonious interruptions interspersed with periodic uproar marked the debate on the Gujarat issue in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

The debate, which was allotted six hours, went on till the early hours of Wednesday, thanks to the mudslinging by the Treasury and Opposition benches.

Also, each and every participant wanted to speak on the crucial issue and took more time than was allotted to his or her party.

Indications were that it would be some more time before Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee replied to the debate and voting by division was effected.

The participants stuck to their party-line with little or no regard to the intricacies of why the Gujarat riots erupted. Consequently, there was very little substance in the speeches that were delivered.

The speeches of Bharatiya Janata Party minister Uma Bharti, Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar and Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam member Vaiko triggered prolonged pandemonium in the House.

Deputy Speaker P M Sayeed tried to pacify the agitated members with little success.

The Treasury and Opposition benches were equally responsible for the din, which made a mockery of the decency and decorum that the Lok Sabha was known for.

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