NEW DELHI, Dec 1: The reported threat by the Bharatiya Janata Party's sister organisations to storm a Sufi shrine in Chikmagalur district of Karnataka led to uproarious scenes in the Rajya Sabha, with the Chair directing Home Minister L K Advani to make a statement.Leader of the House Sikander Bakht made a provocatory statement, which incensed the Opposition further, forcing Chairman Krishan Kant to appeal for calm. He said Bakht clarified that he had not sought to cast aspersions on the Opposition.
However, this failed to satisfy the Opposition. When the House reconvened after lunch, Gurudas Dasgupta (Communist Party of India), who was shouted down by BJP members, explained that he had merely said the Ayodhya incident of December 6, 1992 should not be allowed to be repeated on December 3, when the Vishwa Hindu Parishad-Bajrang Dal was planning to storm the shrine.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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