New Delhi:
Parliament devoted most of its first day in session to Assam and the violence that has killed 70 people, and displaced another 400,000, who are now living in relief camps desperately short of basic supplies.
An adjournment motion moved by the BJP against the government's alleged failure to contain violence in Assam was defeated at the end of the day in the Lok Sabha.
The headliner, however, was Sonia Gandhi, who erupted in anger when BJP leader LK Advani questioned the legitimacy of the UPA government led by her party, the Congress. Mrs Gandhi, usually poised, was seen signalling to her MPs to retaliate.
Chaos followed and Mr Advani later said he withdrew his remarks, which means they will not be entered in parliamentary records. He also said that he was not questioning the validity of the general elections which returned the UPA to power; his remark, he said referenced a trust vote in 2008 that was won through unfair means - "crores of money were spent," he said.
On Assam, Mr Advani said, the clashes in the four districts that are home to the indigenous Bodo tribals are not a case of ethnic or communal violence. He said the problem lay in the relentless arrival of illegal immigrants from across the border in Bangladesh. As a result, Mr Advani said, there was insecurity among residents about losing their land to these new settlers, and living among a changing demographic.
In a calmer evening session, New Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said that some of the cases of ethnic riots in and around Kohrajhar would be investigated by the CBI.
He also said that though the Army is on stand-by, it will move in only if needed. Mr Shinde said that all political parties must work together to help restore peace, and that no attempts should be made to communalise the situation.