Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil assured Rajya Sabha that the Centre would hold talks with the Kerala Government for restoration of peace in the state where both CPI(M) and RSS workers have been killed in recent violence. His assurance came after an impromptu debate on the Sunday attack which the Left parties alleged was engineered by the RSS and BJP. But BJP MPs hit back, saying the root cause of the incident was violence against their cadres in Kerala.

In Lok Sabha, BJP MPs stood in the well while both sides spoke on the incident. Throughout the discussion, BJP members raised slogans, “Kerala ki sarkar sharam karo”, “CPI(M) ki goondagardi nahin chalegi” and even displayed posters of a murdered party worker with his severed head lying next to the torso. Speaker Somnath Chatterjee warned BJP members not to show posters, citing violation of parliamentary norms.

Raising the issue, CPI(M)’s Mohammad Salim said those who carried out the attack were so “ashamed” themselves that they did not display any flag. Four BJP corporators of Delhi, he alleged, were involved in the attack and a party flag was found in a car in which stones were brought for pelting at the CPI(M) headquarters.

“The RSS was itself so ashamed that it used the name of some Hindu Manch. Why are they using the Hindu name to indulge in violence? I condemn it,” he said.

V K Malhotra, the BJP’s deputy leader in the Lok Sabha, said the protest was intended to be “peaceful” but “Communist cadres from inside pelted stones” on the demonstrators, leaving 15 injured. “It was pre-planned by the CPI(M),” he alleged, adding that the BJP had filed an FIR citing how the CPI(M) cadres were “incited” by their leaders.

Malhotra alleged that the Delhi Police took one-sided action against BJP activists under directions from the Union Home Ministry which was under “pressure” from the Left parties.

Madhusudan Mistry of Congress alleged that the BJP had a tendency of being violent and its leaders were “shamelessly” defending the violence. He referred to BJP leader L K Advani, who was present in the House, and said there had been no statement by the person who was being projected as the party’s prime ministerial candidate.

As members from BJP clashed with the Left-Congress combine, an agitated Speaker warned them against disrupting anybody’s speech. He said if any member disrupted any speaker, the observations of his party would be “totally deleted”.

Ram Kirpal Yadav of the RJD, who was trying to say something, was cautioned a number of times against disrupting the speech of Malhotra. “You are deliberately defying the chair. This is not a joke going on,” Chatterjee told Yadav before finally asking him to leave, which he did.

In the Rajya Sabha, as soon as CPI(M) member Sitaram Yechury stood up to raise the matter, BJP members sprang to their feet, protesting against attacks on their workers in Kannur in Kerala. Left benches reacted strongly and were supported by the Congress, RJD and Samajwadi Party while the Shiv Sena and BJD stood in support of the BJP.

Making a statement later, Shivraj Patil rejected charges of acting in a partisan manner against BJP and RSS leaders. He lost his cool when BJP member S S Ahluwalia made allegations of partisanship. Patil said it was not the responsibility of the Home Minister to register FIRs and if a FIR was registered by the police, it would be guided only by the Criminal Procedure Code.

Patil said the attack on the CPI(M) office left 24 persons injured — 10 CPI(M) members, three BJP members, three others and eight policemen.