Debate on communal violence likely today

New Delhi: A discussion on communal violence is likely to be held in the Lok Sabha on Monday. It is the issue that brought an unusually aggressive Rahul Gandhi to the well of the House last week.

Congress has quoted media reports to allege that there have been more than 600 incidents of communal tension in UP in the eleven weeks since the Modi government was sworn in.

Last week’s protest demanding an immediate discussion in Parliament was seen as an attempt by Congress to rally other opposition parties behind it on yet another issue. It is counting on the fact that parties like Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and Trinamool Congress cannot stand with the BJP-led government in a debate on communal violence.

Also the Left, whose Sitaram Yechury has said, “Data from the Home Ministry says that 623 communal violence cases have been reported after the Modi government came in to power. Most of the areas where the violence has taken place will go to the polls soon. This is aimed at gaining votes.” 

On the weekend, Gandhi alleged in a newspaper interview that the communal conflict in Uttar Pradesh have been “artificially and deliberately engineered” as part of a strategy to “divide the poor,” clearly aiming at the BJP.

Modi retorted at a BJP meeting on Saturday, “Despite their humiliating defeat, those who cannot move away from vote-bank politics are harming the social fabric…This politics of promoting polarisation and divisiveness for electoral gain must end.”

It is to be seen whether Gandhi, a three-time MP and Congress vice president will speak in the Parliament debate after accusing Speaker Sumitra Mahajan of bias.  “We are not being allowed to speak in Parliament…there is a mood in Parliament that only one man’s voice counts for anything in this country,” he said in a jibe at Modi.

BJP’s Arun Jailtley retorted, “Those who don’t speak in the House accuse us of not allowing them to speak.” Gandhi is often criticised for not being active or vocal enough in Parliament.

Congress leader has however insisted, “I have raised my voice many times in Parliament.”