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Even senior leaders not exempt from disruptions

Josy Joseph in New Delhi | August 19, 2003 19:41 IST

Senior opposition leaders, including former prime minister Chandra Shekhar, were an agitated lot on Tuesday evening as Bharatiya Janata Party leaders and others repeatedly disrupted former prime minister H D Deve Gowda.

Usually a sober presence in the house, a visibly agitated Chandra Shekhar was seen storming the well of the House and urging Deputy Speaker P M Sayyed to control the members.

Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Somnath Chatterjee complained there are 'many super speakers' in the treasury benches whose permission seems to be necessary for opposition members to speak. "What is agonising is that despite many senior ministers sitting here, nobody is trying to stop them (the troublemakers)," he said.

Nationalist Congress Party MP Sharad Pawar said it was 'absolutely improper' for anyone to disrupt such senior members of the House.

Over the past two days, the House has repeatedly witnessed unruly scenes as members were on their feet on the flimsiest of excuses.

Among those who disturbed Gowda was Dhananjay Kumar (BJP), who insisted on bringing to the former prime minister's notice that the maximum number of farmers' suicides had occurred in Karnataka, which is ruled by the Congress. "I want to ask him if he still supports the no-confidence motion moved by the Congress)," Kumar said.

But Speaker Manohar Joshi retorted with, "Were you speaking with the permission of the chair?"

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