‘Gagged’ by party, BJP MLA walks out of House

The intolerance debate has taken a new twist for the BJP, at least in Rajasthan. Angered at being denied the right to speak by his party, a senior BJP leader walked out of the state Legislative Assembly in a fit of anger.

Ghanshyam Tiwari, not just a senior leader but also the most recognised Brahmin face of the party in Rajasthan, left the House, but not before leaving his party red-faced. “The Speaker has given me permission to speak, but I will not speak out of discipline as my party has not included my name in the list of speakers,” said Mr Tiwari, who has made his displeasure with the party known on several occasions.

Tiwari, a former law minister and widely regarded as the best contemporary parliamentarian and authoritative voice on parliamentary procedures, was not included in the list of speakers for the debate on the Finance and Appropriation Bill. On one such occasion, he sought permission from the Speaker to table his speech after declaring that he was doing so as his name was not included by the party’s chief whip.

On Wednesday he had also made clear why his name was not included. “The names of legislators for a debate are decided by the party chief whips. If the party leader is not happy with a legislator, he would not be allowed to speak even after getting permission from the Speaker,” Mr Tiwari said as he raised a point of order seeking the Speaker’s decision on the point raised by him.

When he did not receive any answer from the deputy speaker, who was in the chair at that time, a visibly upset Mr Tiwari rejected the parliamentary affairs minister’s offer to speak. “No, I will not speak. I am leaving,” he said, leaving his party stunned even as party floor managers went into damage-control mode.

Tiwari, considered a master orator, Sanskrit scholar and experienced legislator, has been using his skills and his right as a legislator to speak his mind, which he can’t do on a party platform or any other public forum because of fear of disciplinary action.

Wary of his motives, the party’s floor managers seemed to have devised the tactic of denying him the opportunity to speak, but that proved counterproductive following Mr Tiwari’s walkout from the House and the reason cited by him for his action that went into the records of the Assembly.

On party platforms, too, he is being denied the opportunity to speak. A few months ago, when he went to a party function to speak, supporters of Ramcharan Bohra, a staunch loyalist and BJP MP from Jaipur, allegedly manhandled him. He has alleged that he is not consulted in party matters or even in those related to his constituency.