Parliament set to witness stormy session over Nandigram killings

New Delhi: The stage is set for yet another Left-Right confrontation in Parliament with the Left Front asserting that the Nandigarm incident cannot be debated in Parliament.

The Left Front leaders were yesterday at pains to explain the difference between the Gujarat massacre of 2002 and the recent Nandigram massacre in the Left-ruled West Bengal.

Senior Left Front leader Sitaram Yechury avoided a direct reply saying the Nandigarm violence was masterminded by the Maoists and quoted Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's statement that violence by Maoists posed the biggest threat to India's internal security.

The principal opposition Bharatiya Janata Party is determined to raise the Nandigram incident in the House. It is feared that they may even stall the proceedings of Parliament to corner the Left, the key ally of the ruling Untied Progressive Alliance.

The BJP has already given notice to take up a discussion on the Nandigram incident on a priority basis, making it clear that they are not too keen on a debate on the contentious India-US nuclear deal in view of the Left and the UPA managing to sort out to some extent their differences, which had fuelled speculations of fresh polls.

Law and order

"Nandigarm is basically a law and order issue which is a state subject. Moreover, the West Bengal assembly has already discussed the subject," the Left leaders said yesterday after the first day of the winter session was adjourned without transacting any business after paying customary homage to sitting and former lawmakers who died after the last session.

The actual business of Parliament is slated to start from today. In view of Gujarat elections next month, the winter session is a curtailed to 13 business days.

The Left is confident that the BJP's bid to have the Nandigarm incident in the House would not be successful since they have in Speaker Somnath Chatterjee one of their leaders.

According to them, even the Speaker does have powers to allow debate on a state subject in Lok Sabha

Yechury said only four state subjects "communalism, attack on minorities, Dalits and women" can be discussed.