Indian Lawmakers Agree to Debate on Mosque Furore
December 13, 2000 - 0:0
NEW DELHI -- Indian lawmakers agreed on Tuesday to hold a debate in Parliament on a furore over a razed Muslim mosque and the prime minister's apparent backing for Hindu ambitions to build a temple on the site.
It was decided at an all-party meeting that Wednesday's debate would be followed by a vote on a censure motion against the Hindu nationalist-led coalition government the next day.
"It has been decided that there will be a discussion in the Lok Sabha (Lower House) tomorrow under rule 184 and the modalities and content of the motion will be decided by the speaker..., which would be acceptable to all," Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pramod Mahajan told reporters.
Uproar over the Babri Masjid had stalled proceedings in Parliament for seven working days, with opposition lawmakers demanding the resignation of three ministers facing charges over the destruction of the mosque eight years ago.
Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee added fuel to the fire of the controversy last week by saying that the construction of a temple at the holy northern town of Ayodhya was "an expression of national feeling" and an unfinished task.
"The Prime Minister Should Resign!" shouted deputies who had swarmed around the speaker's podium at the center of the Lower House as soon as proceedings began. "We Will Not Allow the House to Run!" Business in the Upper House were also halted for the day -- minutes after it had begun.
Over 3,000 people died in India's worst communal violence since partition in 1947 after the 16th-century Babri Mosque was torn down in the Uttar Pradesh town on December 6, 1992.
Hindus believe the site is the birthplace of their god-king Rama, and say the Muslim Mughal ruler pulled down a Hindu temple there and erected a mosque in its place. Muslims dispute this and want their 465-year-old mosque rebuilt.
Parliament has now been adjourned every day since last Monday, blocking the passage of key legislation and holding up discussions on issues such as the dispute with Pakistan on Kashmir and a recent rail accident in which 42 people died.
Opposition parties are demanding the resignation of three ministers facing charges in the mosque demolition case, and they also want a parliamentary discussion leading to a debate on the issue.
Such a debate could embarrass Vajpayee if key coalition allies -- which joined his government 14 months ago on the understanding that the BJP put aside its Hindutva (Hindu-Ness) ambitions -- voted with the opposition.
(Reuter)
It was decided at an all-party meeting that Wednesday's debate would be followed by a vote on a censure motion against the Hindu nationalist-led coalition government the next day.
"It has been decided that there will be a discussion in the Lok Sabha (Lower House) tomorrow under rule 184 and the modalities and content of the motion will be decided by the speaker..., which would be acceptable to all," Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pramod Mahajan told reporters.
Uproar over the Babri Masjid had stalled proceedings in Parliament for seven working days, with opposition lawmakers demanding the resignation of three ministers facing charges over the destruction of the mosque eight years ago.
Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee added fuel to the fire of the controversy last week by saying that the construction of a temple at the holy northern town of Ayodhya was "an expression of national feeling" and an unfinished task.
"The Prime Minister Should Resign!" shouted deputies who had swarmed around the speaker's podium at the center of the Lower House as soon as proceedings began. "We Will Not Allow the House to Run!" Business in the Upper House were also halted for the day -- minutes after it had begun.
Over 3,000 people died in India's worst communal violence since partition in 1947 after the 16th-century Babri Mosque was torn down in the Uttar Pradesh town on December 6, 1992.
Hindus believe the site is the birthplace of their god-king Rama, and say the Muslim Mughal ruler pulled down a Hindu temple there and erected a mosque in its place. Muslims dispute this and want their 465-year-old mosque rebuilt.
Parliament has now been adjourned every day since last Monday, blocking the passage of key legislation and holding up discussions on issues such as the dispute with Pakistan on Kashmir and a recent rail accident in which 42 people died.
Opposition parties are demanding the resignation of three ministers facing charges in the mosque demolition case, and they also want a parliamentary discussion leading to a debate on the issue.
Such a debate could embarrass Vajpayee if key coalition allies -- which joined his government 14 months ago on the understanding that the BJP put aside its Hindutva (Hindu-Ness) ambitions -- voted with the opposition.
(Reuter)