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Opposition protest forces PM to send all-party team to tornado-hit areas

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today offered to send an all-party delegation to the tornado-hit areas of Bengal and Orissa for an on-the-spot assessment of the situation.

The issue rocked both Houses of Parliament, with an dissatisfied Opposition staging a walkout in the Lok Sabha.

In the Rajya Sabha, the prime minister told agitated members that the government wanted to ensure speedy relief for the cyclone-hit, and there was no politics involved.

Earlier, proceedings were halted for 30 minutes as several members described as ''political discrimination'', the government's decision to send a couple of MPs along with Minister of State for Agriculture Som Pal to the cyclone-hit areas. More MPs from the area, the agitated members said, could have been sent as part of the team.

Since the decision was taken in haste, the prime minister admitted, there could have been omissions. This, he added, could be overcome now.

He explained that he was under the impression that Indrajit Gupta, the MP from Midnapore, was concerned with Midnapore so he had immediately contacted him. However, Gupta said he could not be part of the delegation. Trinamul Congress leader Mamta Banerjee and another MP, A K Swain, then volunteered to go along with Som Pal, so they were sent, Vajpayee said. He offered to send other MPs of the affected areas if they wanted to go.

Almost the entire Opposition walked out of the House in protest against the composition of the three-member team.

Sharad Pawar, leader of the Opposition, pointed out that the untimely rains and storms had caused huge losses in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, Orissa and Uttar Pradesh. He wanted the government to make a statement on the issue before Thursday.

Ajit Panja (Trinamul Congress) and Somnath Chatterjee (CPI-M) also aired their views on the situation, but nothing could be heard in the din.

The Opposition, led by Chatterjee and Pawar, charged Vajpayee with practising politics even in the case of a natural calamity. The members were particularly incensed when it was announced that Banerjee was part of the team.

Earlier, the CPI-M and Congress members had rushed to the well of the House, but were coaxed into returning to their seats by Chatterjee and P J Kurien (Congress), even as Speaker G M C Balayogi urged them to listen to the prime minister who was on his feet.

Making a brief statement in the Lok Sabha, Vajpayee announced an immediate grant of Rs 10 million from the Prime Minister's Relief Fund for the relief and rehabilitation of the tornado victims.

Vajpayee said he had, in addition, sanctioned an advance allocation of Rs 100 million each for Orissa and West Bengal to meet the situation arising out of the calamity.

The PM said a Nor'wester had struck Balasore and Midnapore districts of Orissa and West Bengal last night, killing about 100 people, including 15 children, and devastating thousands who were left homeless.

UNI

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