ELECTIONS '98
COMMENTARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ARCHIVES

Discussion on Srikrishna report turns Maharashtra house chaotic

Noisy scenes were witnessed in the Maharashtra legislative assembly over certain remarks against Chief Minister Manohar Joshi by Congress member R R Patil in his speech while initiating the six-hour debate on the Srikrishna Commission report which was tabled in the state legislature yesterday.

Patil later withdrew his remarks and apologised. But he lambasted the chief minister for deviating from the oath of office and trying to protect certain people indicted by the commission for instigating the riots, which he said was a black spot in the glorious history of Maharashtra.

He said Joshi's speech in the house yesterday, while tabling the report, was ''shocking''. He lamented that the chief minister had termed Hindus as 'patriots' and Muslims as 'anti-nationals' and also cast aspersions on Justice Srikrishna's integrity by calling him ''biased''.

He demanded that Joshi had no right to continue in office since he was also indicted by the commission for preaching that in terror there is security ( dashahat he surakshitata) during that period. Patil charged that the government had rejected the report with a political motive, but warned that they will have to face a tougher test in the court of the people.

Criticising the government for rejecting the commission findings, Janata Dal member Nihal Ahmed quoted an old saying, ' vinashkale vipreet buddhi ', and said the people of Maharashtra would teach the Shiv Sena-BJP government a lesson in the assembly elections, which is just 18 months away.

Samajwadi Party member Sohail Lokhandwala termed Joshi's speech yesterday rejecting 'certain' conclusions of the commission as shameful, and demanded his resignation. Urdu newspapers had not published any provocative articles, he said, adding that leaders like Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray, member of Parliament Madhukar Sarpotdar and others, who were indicted by the commission, should be punished .

Madhavrao Kinhalkar (Congress) said by rejecting the recommendations of the commission, the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance government had trampled upon the constitutional provisions bestowed on the minority community.

Manikrao Thakre (Cong) said the alliance government had indicated its opposition to the Srikrishna Commission when it liquidated the commission immediately after assuming power.

However, ruling party members Baburao Mane, Bhaskar Jadhav, minister of state for housing Raj Purohit and others strongly defended the stand taken by the government on the commission report.

UNI

Tell us what you think of this report