Political acrimony pauses to remember terror attack - then continues (Roundup)

NEW DELHI - The terror attack on India’s parliament nine years ago united MPs cutting across party lines Monday as they remembered those killed even while the schism between the opposition and the government deepened over the issue of the accused Afzal Guru and the continuing impasse on the 2G spectrum controversy.

Coincidentally, the anniversary of the attack that struck at the root of Indian democracy also marked the end of the winter session of parliament, the least productive ever with only seven of 138 hours of business being conducted in 22 days due to the stalemate over the demand for a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) probe into the 2G spectrum scandal.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi Monday hit out at the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the deadlock and accused it of double standards on corruption.

Addressing a Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) meeting here, Gandhi said: “The people of India will be entirely justified if they take a dim view of the manner in which the opposition, especially the principal opposition party, has disrupted every day of the session.”

The trouble only escalated as the day progressed.

As soon as the Lok Sabha met at 11 a.m., Speaker Meira Kumar read a message to pay tribute to the nine people - five policemen, one paramilitary woman constable, two security staff of parliament and a gardener - who were killed on Dec 13, 2001 when five terrorists stormed the parliament complex.

“Let’s on this day resolve to resolutely combat the macabre designs of the perpetrators of terrorism and reaffirm our pledge to protect the unity, integrity and sovereignty of the motherland,” she said, asking MPs to stand in silence.

Earlier in the day, Vice President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Meira Kumar, Sonia Gandhi and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj were among the first to lay floral wreaths near the photographs of those killed.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, BJP leader L.K. Advani, ministers and other MPs paid floral tributes to them near the photographs mounted on the outer wall of Parliament House.

Advani later condemned terrorism and pledged that the nation “stands united to fight it”.

But the unity was only too shortlived with the slugfest — that began Dec 9 with the winter session — continuing.

The Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha were both adjourned sine die. A distressed Ansari, chairman of the upper house, said: “All sections of the house would perhaps introspect on the record of this session to seek the distinction between dissent, remonstration, agitation and disruption.”

Listening on was the prime minister, the leader of the house.

Outside parliament, the debate over the fate of Afzal Guru, said to be a Jaish-e-Mohammed militant and sentenced to death, further polarised the government and sections of the opposition.

Guru’s sentence has been stayed as his mercy petition is pending.

“The country wants to know about those responsible for the parliament attack. The government should punish them,” Sushma Swaraj said.

“We are paying tributes to those killed in the attack while the guilty are yet to be punished. It just looks like a formality,” she said.

Home Minister P. Chidambaram said action against Afzal Guru could be taken only after President Pratibha Patil gave her decision on the mercy plea.

“I have explained so many times. Fourteen cases (mercy petition) were sent to the president during National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government and not even one was decided. When my predecessor was in the office, he sent those 14 cases and 14 more cases, and two were decided,” Chidambaram told reporters here.

“I think we have to follow some principle and some order… And I think respect to the office of president requires that we accept they are submitted…and we await the president’s decision,” he added.