NEW DELHI: Objecting to the presence of social activist Medha Patkar , BJP MPs, including former Union minister Parshottam Rupala, stormed out of a parliamentary committee meeting on Tuesday, prompting the committee head to end the session.
Some of the BJP MPs called Patkar an "anti-national," and one wondered if the "prime minister of Pakistan" could also be called at such a meeting. She has long been accused by the ruling party of "working against the country's development interests in the name of public and environmental causes."
The Standing Committee on Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, headed by Congress' Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka, had invited Patkar to present her views on the implementation and effectiveness of the land acquisition law enacted by Parliament when the Congress-led UPA government was in power in 2013.
Defending his decide to invite Patkar, Ulaka told news agency PTI that as a standard practice, parliamentary panels hear civil society members and other stakeholders on various issues.
He added, "We wanted to hear their views on the land acquisition law. We wanted an opinion from everyone, but they (BJP) didn't allow it."
On his decision to cancel the session, the Congress parliamentarian stated that this was done as there was a lack of quorum.
"As per rule, a quorum of 10 members is required. When the BJP MPs walked out, there was no quorum, and the meeting ended," Ulaka explained.
'Invitation to Patkar our main objection': BJP
A BJP member said their primary objection was to calling Patkar, who was the face of the ' Narmada Bachao Andolan ' protest against a determined push by the Gujarat government, headed by the then-chief minister Narendra Modi, to raise the height of the Sardar Sarovar Dam.
The Gujarat government finally prevailed, and Modi, who later took over as prime minister in 2014, has often spoken about the efforts to stall the project since its foundation was laid in the 1960s.
According to a source, those invited before the panel included officials from the environment and forest ministry. Activists, including Patkar and actor Prakash Raj - he is a vocal BJP critic - were also asked to appear before the committee.
When the meeting started, opposition members were of the opinion that Patkar should be heard. However, the saffron party did not agree.
'Never experienced anything like this': Medha Patkar
Asked about the incident, Patkar replied she was invited to appear before the panel, and while she and others were waiting, they saw some MPs leave.
Later, they were informed that the meeting had ended, she added, and noted that she has appeared before parliamentary committees earlier as well.
"I have never experienced anything like this before. It is important to talk about the land acquisition law," Patkar said.
Some of the BJP MPs called Patkar an "anti-national," and one wondered if the "prime minister of Pakistan" could also be called at such a meeting. She has long been accused by the ruling party of "working against the country's development interests in the name of public and environmental causes."
The Standing Committee on Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, headed by Congress' Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka, had invited Patkar to present her views on the implementation and effectiveness of the land acquisition law enacted by Parliament when the Congress-led UPA government was in power in 2013.
Defending his decide to invite Patkar, Ulaka told news agency PTI that as a standard practice, parliamentary panels hear civil society members and other stakeholders on various issues.
He added, "We wanted to hear their views on the land acquisition law. We wanted an opinion from everyone, but they (BJP) didn't allow it."
On his decision to cancel the session, the Congress parliamentarian stated that this was done as there was a lack of quorum.
"As per rule, a quorum of 10 members is required. When the BJP MPs walked out, there was no quorum, and the meeting ended," Ulaka explained.
'Invitation to Patkar our main objection': BJP
A BJP member said their primary objection was to calling Patkar, who was the face of the ' Narmada Bachao Andolan ' protest against a determined push by the Gujarat government, headed by the then-chief minister Narendra Modi, to raise the height of the Sardar Sarovar Dam.
The Gujarat government finally prevailed, and Modi, who later took over as prime minister in 2014, has often spoken about the efforts to stall the project since its foundation was laid in the 1960s.
According to a source, those invited before the panel included officials from the environment and forest ministry. Activists, including Patkar and actor Prakash Raj - he is a vocal BJP critic - were also asked to appear before the committee.
When the meeting started, opposition members were of the opinion that Patkar should be heard. However, the saffron party did not agree.
'Never experienced anything like this': Medha Patkar
Asked about the incident, Patkar replied she was invited to appear before the panel, and while she and others were waiting, they saw some MPs leave.
Later, they were informed that the meeting had ended, she added, and noted that she has appeared before parliamentary committees earlier as well.
"I have never experienced anything like this before. It is important to talk about the land acquisition law," Patkar said.
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