Chennai: The Lok Sabha on Tuesday witnessed a war of words over a remark made by T R Baalu against Union Minister L Murugan, with ruling BJP MPs asking the DMK leader to apologise for “insulting” a Dalit.
As Baalu did not heed to the demand, Speaker Om Birla expunged the word from the records while DMK members along with the Congress and Left MPs staged a walk out.
The incident took place when the House was discussing a question related to flood relief to Tamil Nadu during the Question Hour.
After two of his party colleagues asked questions on the subject, Baalu asked a supplementary. At that point of time, Murugan, Union Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, who also hails from Tamil Nadu, said the DMK leader was asking an “irrelevant” question.
At this, Baalu made a comment against Murugan.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi, his deputy Arjun Ram Meghwal, several other minister and BJP MPs were on their feet protesting against the remark of Baalu.
They claimed that Murugan is a Dalit and the remark is an “insult” to the entire Dalit community and demanded an apology. However, Baalu repeated the word.
At this, the ruling party members protested again and sought his apology.
Soon, the speaker expunged the remark.
Meanwhile, the Lok Sabha took up for discussion a bill to provide reservation to Other Backward Classes in the panchayats and the municipalities in Jammu and Kashmir and to bring consistency in the local bodies laws of the Union territory with the provisions of the Constitution. Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai moved the Jammu and Kashmir Local Bodies Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024 for passage in the House. The bill was introduced in the House on Monday.
The bill seeks to amend the Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj Act, 1989, the Jammu and Kashmir Municipal Act, 2000 and the Jammu and Kashmir Municipal Corporation Act, 2000.
Rai said the provisions pertaining to state Election Commissioner in the Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj Act “are at variance” with the provisions of the Constitution.
Participating in the debate, National Conference member Hasnain Masoodi said that the government has not decided a date for assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir which is now a union territory after bifurcation following scrapping of Article 370. He said it is a matter of “shame” for the government that the Supreme Court had to set an outer limit for holding assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir.
The National Conference has also been demanding the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.