U.P., Bihar dominate LS proceedings

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, AUG. 7. The zero hour in the Lok Sabha is increasingly turning out to be a Uttar Pradesh-Bihar affair, with members from both States monopolising the time allowed for raising important issues. For the past two days, while MPs from Bihar used the flood situation to settle political scores, their Uttar Pradesh counterparts concentrated on the communal flare-up in Muzzafarnagar.

There was a side-play between the Congress and the Samajwadi Party MPs on the issue. While the Congress insisted that its Muzaffarnagar MP, Mr. Saeeduzaman, be given first chance to speak, the SP chief, Mr. Mulayam Singh Yadav, wanted to be the first to raise the issue. The two sides combined to create enough of a din to force an adjournment of the House till 2 p.m.

After the House assembled, Mr. P.H. Pandian, who was presiding, allowed Mr. Yadav to raise the issue. At this stage, the Congress members and Mr. Banatwala demanded that they be allowed to raise the issue which was objected to by the BJP MPs from the State.

Mr. Yadav and Mr. Banatwala got their chance to raise the issue and both blamed the BJP for the communal flare-up. The BJP members protested vehemently and later the SP members walked out.

The clash among the Bihar MPs continued today, with the MPs belonging to the BJP, the Samata Party, and the Janata Dal (United), accusing the Bihar Government of mismanaging the situation. The RJD members led by Mr. Raghuvansh Prasad Singh trooped into the well of the House accusing the Treasury Benches of using the floods to settle scores with the State Government. The issue was eventually settled after the Centre assured the agitated members that it would ask the Minister concerned to take note of their views.

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