Parliament Budget Session: Lok Sabha on Tuesday (February 6) witnessed a huge ruckus after Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MP TR Baalu dubbed Union Minister of State L Murugan “unfit to be a minister”, which did got sit well with the treasury benches and the BJP described the remark as an insult to the entire Dalit community, while also demanding an apology from the Opposition leader. The incident took place during a discussion during Question Hour on damages caused due to natural disasters.
DMK MPs A Raja and A Ganeshamurthi asked "Will the Minister of Home Affairs be pleased to state: whether the Union Government has sent any Central team to assess the damages caused due to very heavy rainfalls and flooding, natural disasters in Chennai and its suburbs and in the South of Tamil Nadu in December; if so, the details thereof; whether the state government of Tamil Nadu has requested for release of funds towards relief operations in the wake of natural disasters struck in its eight districts; if so, the total funds requested by the State and the disaster relief fund released to the State so far; and the time by which the total funds, grants and Central assistance as demanded by the State would be released for undertaking quick restoration of damaged public infrastructure?"
TR Baalu, DMK MP from Sriperumbudur was speaking during the Question Hour on the issue and was intervened by BJP MP L Murugan, who also hails from Tamil Nadu.
"Why do you interfere, please sit down...What do you want...You are unfit to be a member of Parliament. You are unfit to be minister also,” Baalu said.
BJP leaders react
Reacting sharply to the remarks, Union Ministers Pralhad Joshi and Arjun Ram Meghwal said that the DMK MP cannot call their colleague “unfit”.
"Sir, it is not right to call an SC minister unfit. This is an insult to a Dalit," Joshi said.
"TR Baalu was asking a question. A Dalit minister of our Council of Ministers stood up and simply said that you are asking irrelevant questions. And you called him unfit. He is also a Dalit and also comes from the SC community. (Baalu) called him unfit. This is an insult to the Dalit community. We want Baalu to apologise," Meghwal said.
Baalu repeats his remarks
After the Ministers sought an apology, Baalu reiterated that the minister was unfit to be in politics also. Joshi said that he was insulting the entire SC community.
The Budget Session, which began on January 31, will be spread over eight sittings spread over a period of 10 days and may conclude on February 9.
(With ANI inputs)
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