Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Assembly today unanimously adopted a censure motion against former Supreme Court judge Markandey Katju for his remarks against Mahatma Gandhi and Subhash Chandra Bose.
As soon as the House met for the day, Congress members raised the issue and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mohammad Azam Khan said the comments against the Father of the Nation was an insult to the country and if it was tolerated it would be against democracy.
Leader of Opposition and BSP leader Swami Prasad Maurya, BJP leader Suresh Kumar Khanna, Congress legislature party leader Pradeep Mathur and Dalveer Singh of RLD supported Khan and said a censure motion should be unanimously passed. In his blog, Katju had called Gandhiji a British agent and Bose a Japanese one.
Maurya said the comment against Gandhi and Bose was an insult to the entire country and showed the “absurd mentality” of the former Press Council of India Chairman. “The remark was made to grab post of chairman of some commission,” he added.
As the Question Hour was on, Speaker Mata Prasad Pandey asked Khan to draft a motion and move it later. Till then the proceedings could be carried out as per schedule, he said. Khan later moved the motion stating that the House felt the act was threat to democracy.
“The remarks were made for fulfilling some ambition. It's sad that the real identity of such a person was made late. I move a censure motion before the House,” Khan said. Rising above political divide, members unanimously supported the motion which was passed by the House by voice vote, with some members demanding that an FIR be registered against the person who made such remarks.
