NEW DELHI, Aug 14 � AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal came under attack in Rajya Sabha for instigating violence in Mumbai following the Kokrajhar violence, even as alarmed by attacks on students from Northeast, Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde assured of prompt action.
The Union Home Minister conveyed his assurance to Minister of State for DoNER Paban Singh Ghatowar on Monday, when he took up the issue of students from the region being targeted for violence in different parts of the country.
A group of MPs of the north-eastern States separately petitioned the Union Home Minister about the incidents of targeting of students in Pune, Kolkata, Chennai and Andhra Pradesh. The MPs have urged the Home Minister to ensure protection of students of the region, said Ranee Narah, talking to this newspaper.
Ghatowar said that he also had a chat with Railway Minister Mukul Roy and urged him to help the students who are stranded at different stations across the country.
Meanwhile, the BJP MPs have decided to donate half of their monthly salary to the riot-affected people in Assam and remaining half to the flood-affected people of Uttarakhand. This was decided at the meeting of the BJP Parliamentary Group on Tuesday.
The UPA-II Government continued to face the heat over violence in Mumbai, as the government faced criticism in both the Houses of Parliament for the second day today.
Raising the matter in Rajya Sabha, Balbir Punj of BJP blasted the Centre for inaction, alleging that Ajmal instigated the crowds in Mumbai. A top official of the Ministry of Home Affairs, who had divulged Ajmal�s role, was forced to change his statement by the Home Minister, he charged.
Alleging that the government was clueless about what is going on in the country, he accused the Centre of playing vote bank politics. Punj wanted to know who was behind the rally organised at the Azad Maidan in Mumbai on Saturday. He said the slogans raised at the rally were a matter of serious concern.
Amidst interruption, the Home Minister said that the government is prepared to hold a discussion on the recent violence in Mumbai. Shinde�s assurance came when several members demanded that they be allowed to raise the issue during the Zero Hour. The Vice Chairman Prof PJ Kurien asked the members to give notices for holding a structured debate on the issue.
Amidst noisy scenes, the Vice Chairman adjourned the House for 10 minutes in the pre-lunch period as some members continued to press for a discussion.
Earlier, raising the matter, Sanjay Raut of the Shiv Sena demanded a full-fledged discussion on the issue.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithvi Raj Chavan, meanwhile, met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to brief him about the clashes in Mumbai. Both of them discussed progress in the investigation into the incident.
Joining the discussion in the Upper House, Sanjay Raut alleged that students of the Northeast were attacked all over the country and the demonstration turned violent in Mumbai because of provocation by Badruddin Ajmal.
In the Lok Sabha today, as soon as the House met, Shiv Sena and BJP Members from Maharashtra stormed into the well, demanding dismissal of the Maharashtra Government and a statement from Home Minister on the Mumbai violence.
