New Delhi: Angry scenes were witnessed in the Rajya Sabha on Friday when the treasury benches, led by Leader of the House Piyush Goyal and finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, sought an apology from the Congress and a clarification from Leader of the Opposition and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge over the “divisive” statement of his party Lok Sabha MP D.K. Suresh suggesting a call for a separate South nation over fiscal injustice. The Congress president said it stands for a united nation and will not tolerate any such call.Maintaining that the Congress stands for the country’s unity, Mr Kharge tried to raise the issue of delay in government formation in Jharkhand, which the Union ministers labelled “diversionary tactics” to take attention away from the Congress MP’s statement, who had given a call for “dividing this country.”Playing the issue, Mr Kharge also said that the MP in question has clarified that he did not state what is being reported.”If he has said anything, the matter should be looked into by the privileges committee (of the Lok Sabha),” Mr Kharge said.Amidst slogans of “shame, shame” from the treasury benches in the Rajya Sabha, Congress and some other Opposition parties MPs staged a walkout on the Jharkhand issue, to which Ms Sitharaman said the Congress has made it clear that it “favours corruption” as the development in Jharkhand took place after the former chief minister Hemant Soren was arrested in a corruption case.The issue of Mr Suresh’s call for a separate South nation over fiscal injustice was also raised in the Lok Sabha during the Zero Hour. Parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi condemned the statement of the Congress member and demanded that the matter be referred to the ethics committee of the Lok Sabha.”Members of the Opposition INDIA bloc, including the Congress and the DMK, were on their feet trying to make some point as Mr Joshi made the statement in the House. They later walked out for a brief while.In the Rajya Sabha, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar informed members that the Upper House was seized of the Lok Sabha MP’s remarks. Mr Dhankar also said that such issues cannot be taken lightly and that “such a person is required to be visited with exemplary consequences”.The Rajya Sabha Chairman also asked Mr Goyal to put details of the Lok Sabha MPs’ purported remarks before the House, which he said will also be provided to Mr Kharge.Earlier, Mr Kharge tried to reason that the Upper House cannot take up any issue related to a member of the Lower House. However, Mr Dhankar, recalling an earlier ruling made in April last year, clarified that the Rajya Sabha can take up matters related to allegations made by Lok Sabha members for which a notice has to be submitted.Noting that the statement by the Congress MP, who is also the brother of Karnataka deputy chief minister D.K. Shivakumar, Mr Goyal said the “very unfortunate” remarks were against the Constitution, sovereignty and integrity of the country and reflected the “divisive” thinking of the Congress party.”The Congress president should clarify if the party is associated with the statement. (He should also state if) the country’s sovereignty and integrity and its Constitution hold any place in the mindset of the Congress. (And that) does the party want to divide the country into north and south?…The country will not tolerate this divisive approach of the Congress. I condemn the Congress party and its leaders and demand that they apologise for the statement,” said the Leader of the House.Mr Dhankar said: “…Any challenge to the sovereignty and integrity has to be resisted with full might from very institution and this House is seized of the matter and will greatly appreciate that the House, in one voice, reflects the mindset of the 1.4 billion people of this country that such an attempt from any quarter within or outside the country has to be met with unitedly, effectively, and be neutralised.”Slamming the Congress over staging a walkout, Ms Sitharaman said when the House was taking up an issue of a Congress MP speaking about breaking the country, the Opposition party tried to prevent Mr Suresh’s “separate nation” call from being discussed by bringing in a technical ground. After the Chair clarified, they staged a walkout in favour of the corruption.”When the House was taking up the statement of a Congress MP speaking about breaking India, we were lectured on technicalities…they chose to walk out on a matter that is about dividing this country…instead of outrightly condemning the statement, this is diversionary,” said Ms Sitharaman.Demanding an apology from the Congress over its MP’s remarks, Mr Goyal noted that even for fighting an election, an oath of affirmation to the Constitution of India is required and after being elected, MPs have to take an oath of allegiance to the Constitution and that of upholding sovereignty.Mr Suresh, who represents Bangalore Rural in the Lok Sabha, had said that injustice was meted out to the southern states in the allocation of shares in tax collection, while the tax money is distributed to north India.Condemning the Congress MP’s statement, the BJP said the Congress leader has no right to remain an MP even for a minute and accused him of openly talking about breaking India.”Will the country’s unity and sovereignty be torn into shreds for political benefits,” BJP leader and former law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told a press conference as he hit out at Mr Kharge and party leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, besides their India bloc allies, for maintaining a “conspicuous silence” over his “shameful” and “unconstitutional” comments.
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