Pandemonium in Rajya Sabha over Liberhan Commission report - India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

The Rajya Sabha was adjourned following a scuffle involving Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Samajwadi party (SP) members as the enquiry report of the Liberhan Commission, which probed the circumstances leading to the demolition of the Babri Masjid in December 1992, was tabled in the House on Tuesday. As the Home Minister tabled the copy of the report, along with the action taken report, during Zero Hour in the Rajya Sabha (Upper House of Indian parliament), BJP leaders shouted slogans in praise of Lord Ram. SP leader Amar Singh got infuriated over it and came menacingly towards senior BJP leader SS Ahluwalia, who was sitting in the front row along with his party colleagues. A scuffle followed. "When this report was presented then it was natural that Bharatiya Janata Party leaders would raise slogans of 'Jai Sri Ram' (hail Lord Ram). And when BJP parliamentarians were chanting slogans, then Samajwadi party parliamentarians without any provocation entered in a scuffle with us," said Ahluwalia after the House was adjourned due to the scuffle. Party colleagues separated both the leaders in the House following which it was adjourned. Singh, however, told reporters that he was embarrassed over his behaviour and would thus apologise to the BJP leader as well as to the House for his misconduct. "I will apologise, but I earlier stood up and calmly asked them not to raise slogans 'Jai Shri Ram' in the Parliament. I had no objective to enter into a fight. But when 'Jai Shri Ram' slogans were raised, our Muslim leaders said that if there would be 'Jai Bajrang Bali' (hail monkey God Hanuman), then there would be 'Ya Ali' (hail Ali) as well. So my objective was that the nation should not be divided," said Singh. Singh apologised to Ahluwalia soon after entering the House when it was reconvened. However, a leader of the ruling Congress party and a Rajya Sabha member Rashid Alvi said that the scuffle appeared to be a planned one. Liberhan Commission, the one-man commission headed by Justice M S Liberhan, probed into the circumstances leading to the demolition of the Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992.