New Delhi, August 12: Accusing the government of neglecting Muslims, the Samajwadi Party created a ruckus in the Assembly on Wednesday, which was used by the ruling BSP to pass the supplementary demands for grants for the current year without debate.
Expressing unhappiness, the Congress and the BJP staged a walk-out and even accused the SP of helping the government. BJP leader Om Prakash Singh and Congress leader Pramod Tiwari said they wanted a discussion on supplementary demands, particularly the provision of about Rs 500 crore made for parks and memorials.
Raising the issue of neglect of Muslims through an adjournment notice, RA Usmani of the SP alleged that the BSP government was doing nothing for the uplift of the Muslims and their social and economic condition was worse than that of Dalits. He alleged that the government had also discontinued welfare schemes for Muslims. Usmani said there had been many commissions and committees to look into the problems of the minority community but their lot had not improved. Other Muslim members of the SP also accused the government of denying the minority community its due and only giving lip service.
As soon as the PWD and Irrigation Minister Naseemuddin Siddiqui rose to intervene in the debate, angry SP members stormed into the Well, sat on a dharna and raised slogans against the government. Appeals for order by the Speaker had no effect. Amid the din, the minister said the SP was desperate as the Muslims had deserted the party.
“The crushing defeat of the SP in the recent by-election in the Muslim-dominated Domariyaganj, and the earlier defeats in Etawah, Bharthna and Ferozabad show that Muslims are with the BSP,” Siddiqui said. “It is this situation that forced the SP leader to tender an unconditional apology to the Muslims. But apology alone won’t help the party wriggle out of the crisis. Mulayam Singh Yadav should do some introspection.”
The Speaker later rejected the notice. Amid the din, the House passed supplementary demands for grants, totalling Rs 5,461 crore, without debate. The Speaker later adjourned the House for the day.
——Agencies