Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan was visibly flustered Wednesday, retorting angrily to Venkaiah Naidu, Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj among others. At 12.30 pm after a brief adjournment, the Speaker, responding to a variety of salutations and greetings, remarked, “Sab log bohot hi hoshiyar ho rahe hain.” As Leader of the Congress Mallikarjun Kharge moved his adjournment motion on the “action taken by the government on the reported involvement and admission of a Union minister and related acts and actions in assisting a fugitive and the stand taken by the government in this regard’, Mahajan intervened saying she doesn’t know that he (Lalit Modi) “is a fugitive or not”. [related-post] At this, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu said “it is alleged because the government has not declared him fugitive” and that “from our side, we do not have any problem. Earlier government had not declared him fugitive.” Mahajan shot back, “I am asking for my own understanding whether this word can be used here with regard to Parliament. All of your are learned people, I am the only ignorant one here.” Finance Minister Arun Jaitley got up to clarify, “It is only last week that a non-bailable warrant has been issued against him”, Mahajan agreed to the use of the word “fugitive” for Lalit Modi. As Kharge sought leave of the House to move his adjournment motion, BJP chief whip Arjun Ram asked whether the Congress had 50 MPs. “When I am here, why are you asking this? I called myself ignorant of just one word, not of the rules,” Mahajan retorted. She asked the House whether anybody was opposing the motion. When nobody did, Mahajan said, “If nobody is opposing, there is no need to get 50 members in favour of it.” As Mahajan allowed two-and-a-half hours, Sushma Swaraj suggested there be no time limit. This again got the Speaker worked up. “Everybody should not give directions to me. I know what to do. I am allocating two-and-a-half hours,” she said, sternly. Kharge accused the treasury benches of hyperbole and added that they try to use “Chanakya niti”. To this, Mahajan shot back, “You did not come to see the play yesterday.” A play titled Chanakya had been staged on the Parliament complex Tuesday. Once Kharge concluded and Sushma rose, the Opposition benches objected. Mahajan looked irritated again. “She has the full right to intervene. It is not right that you will say what you want to say and will then walk off or create a disturbance,” Mahajan said.
