BJP leaders’ controversial remarks, CAA dominate debate on President’s address

New Delhi, Feb. 3 (PTI): With Delhi assembly elections just days away, the controversial remarks by BJP leaders Anurag Thakur and Parvesh Verma during the poll campaign and the ongoing anti-CAA protest at Shaheen Bagh here figured prominently in Lok Sabha on Monday.

The lower house witnessed protests by opposition members, mostly from the Congress and the DMK, against the amended Citizenship Act, with Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury saying the government cannot silence people’s “boli” (voice) with “goli” (bullet).

Speaker Om Birla and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi asked protesting members, who had trooped into the Well as soon as the Question Hour began at 11 am, to raise their issues during the discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address.

With opposition members carrying placards and raising slogans against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Population Register (NPR) and National Register of Citizens (NRC), the Speaker adjourned the House after a little over 10 minutes following the Question Hour. He emphasised that it was for lunch.

People are protesting to protect the Constitution and are carrying national flags, Chowdhury said, alleging that some protesters were killed “mercilessly”.

“You are fake Hindus,” he said, attacking the BJP, and added that if its members were “asli (genuine) Hindus”, then they would have behaved differently.

Thakur, who is the Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs, had made some controversial remarks during a recent poll rally in the national capital.

He was banned from campaigning by the Election Commission for three days for egging on people to raise the slogan “shoot the traitors”, after he lashed out at anti-CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) protesters.

Belligerent Congress members, who were in the Well, shouted slogans against the minister and asked “Aapka goli kaha hai? (where is your bullet?)”.

Some members also shouted “Goli maarna band karo (Stop shooting)”.

Whenever Thakur was responding to supplementaries during the Question Hour, the members began sloganeering against him.

Opposition members, including those from the Congress and the DMK, also walked out of Lok Sabha to protest the controversial remarks by BJP member Parvesh Verma during a poll rally, when he rose to initiate a debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President’s address .

As soon as Verma rose to initiate the debate, opposition members raised slogans against him like “sharm karo (have shame)”.

Speaker Om Birla said what a member says outside cannot be raised inside the House and that members should not set a “wrong precedent”.

Verma was barred by the Election Commission last week for four days for his controversial remarks made during an interview and at an election meeting.

Verma took on the Congress for its opposition to the Citizenship Amendment Act, saying, “They should know that it is not Rajiv Feroze Khan government, it is Narendra Modi’s government.

“We will not take back CAA. It is a question of the country’s integrity.”

He referred to the Shaheen Bagh sit-in, saying it is not a protest against Citizenship Amendment Act, rather people there are saying “Pakistan zindabad, and Assam and Kashmir should be separated from India.”

Verma said India is proud to have such a President who has rejected the mercy plea of Nirbhaya convicts.

Congress’ Gaurav Gogoi demanded that Thakur be booked under relevant laws.

He alleged that political masters at the top are giving directions to ministers to make inflammatory speeches.

“Book the minister” under relevant laws, he said without taking any name.

“In front of Delhi Police, a boy fired on the people,” the Congress leader said adding “he must have been motivated by someone”.

“I want to know who is pulling the trigger. It’s not the minister or that boy,” he added.

P K Kunhalikuty (IUML) said that in the Delhi election rallies while the AAP and the Congress are talking about development, the BJP is trying to make it as “communal as possible”.

“They are even giving a call to shoot people. People sitting in high offices are making these calls,” he alleged, adding they are targeting a minority community in the country.

He said that no senior BJP leader is condemning such remarks.

“The prime minister talks about new India but it is full of hatred, anarchy and joblessness,” he alleged.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to reply to the debate on Wednesday.