Rajasthan Governors RSS remark sparks uproar (Jan 7, 2009, The Hindu)
The proceedings in the Rajasthan Assembly were stalled on Tuesday with the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party taking strong exception to the recent controversial remarks of Governor S. K. Singh accusing Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh of having a "direct role" in the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. Mr. Singh stated at a seminar on "Gandhi in times of terror" here on Sunday that though terror had failed to scare Gandhiji, the Mahatma himself fell prey to it. He said Nathuram Godse, an RSS member, killed Gandhiji because he was in favour of providing Rs.85 crore to Pakistan at the time of Partition. Infuriated at the charge, the BJP MLAs disrupted the proceedings as soon as the House met on Tuesday and created an uproar demanding immediate dismissal of Mr. Singh. Loud slogans such as "Vande Mataram", "Sack the Governor" and "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" rent the air.
Speaker Dipendra Singh Shekhawat's repeated pleas that the Governor's conduct could not be discussed in the House failed to cut ice with the BJP, which charged that Mr. Singh had distorted historic facts and wrongly tried to link RSS with Mahatma Gandhi's murder. BJP MLA Jaswant Singh Yadav raised the issue as soon as Question Hour started and remarked that Mr. Singh "seems to have lost his mental balance". To this, the treasury members protested and said the BJP was perturbed by the allegations of former Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat about the sale of tickets in its camp during the Rajasthan Assembly elections. Debate on Governor
BJP leader Ghanshyam Tiwari claimed that the conduct of the then Governor, Sampurnanand (1962-1967), was discussed in the State Assembly and a committee was appointed to examine if a privilege motion against him was maintainable. The Leader of the Opposition, former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, said the Governor, as the highest Constitutional functionary in the State, should have refrained from making controversial remarks and cited a Supreme Court judgment of 2006 in Rameshwar Prasad vs. Union of India to support her contention that the Governor should not politicise his office. "The Sarkaria Commission too has observed that the Governors should show sincerity and sagacity in their conduct and should not serve the political interests of any party," said Ms. Raje, adding that two judicial inquiries had proved that RSS had no role in the assassination of the Father of the Nation.
The Speaker, who ruled that the Assembly could not hold any debate or discussion on the Governor's remarks or conduct, adjourned the House thrice after failing to control the BJP MLAs. The business of tabling notifications and introduction of the motion of thanks on the Governor's address was conducted amid pandemonium before the House was adjourned for the day. Mr. Singh, known for his political comments, has not been on good terms with the BJP after he held up a Bill passed in the Assembly during the previous regime providing for reservation to Gujjars and creating a new economic backward class in the State.
http://www.hindu.com/2009/01/07/stories/2009010757810700.htm
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