Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, June 8: Pandemonium was witnessed in Legislative Council today over controversial remarks of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Sadhvi Prachi with Opposition and ruling Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) members exchanging heated arguments with each other even as State Government termed the remarks ‘wrong’.
Soon after the Upper House met this morning, the National Conference (NC) legislator Dr Shehnaz Ganai raised the issue and demanded Council’s condemnation of the remarks of Sadhvi wherein she had reportedly said that “it was time to make India free of Muslims”.
Ganai was supported by other members of NC and also Congress, drawing flak from BJP members sitting on treachery benches, even as Chairman Anayat Ali urged them to sit down and raise the issue during Zero Hour. “Don’t vitiate the atmosphere,” said the BJP’s Vibodh Gupta. He was joined by other party members including Ashok Khujuria and Ajatshatru Singh.
“You want to put this State on fire on the basis of newspaper reports,” the BJP legislators said while addressing Opposition members and accused them of “blackmailing India”. Amid uproar, the Congress MLC Ghulam Nabi Monga said: “This is highly condemnable. The House should condemn it.”
Following the uproar, the Education Minister and Government spokesperson, Naeem Akhtar, got up from his seat and termed the remarks of VHP leader wrong, saying the Muslims are part of India and the country is incomplete without them.
“The report has been carried by newspapers. Whosoever said it, it is wrong. Muslims are a part of the country and it is incomplete without them,” Akhtar said. The Minister said Muslims have to live in the country as equal stake-holders.
“There is no need to divide this House. Our State has many problems and we want to grapple them, so please allow us. We should not be provoked into a divisive tit for tat match. We all have to live in this country as equal stake-holders,” he said.
Earlier, the Opposition members also raised the issue of Russian poplar trees and sought statement from State Government. Following the demand, the Forest Minister Lal Singh said the Government has marked these trees for cutting them down. “However, the maximum trees are private, of people and they don’t allow us to cut the down and argue that they don’t fell ill. They also said these trees are their source of income,” he added.
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