Author:
Publication: Chennai Online
Date: November 19, 2007
URL: http://www.chennaionline.com/colnews/newsitem.asp?NEWSID=%7B9E4A85EE-4E99-4719-8EFE-DDB06422BBD9%7D&CATEGORYNAME=NATL
The political furore over Nandigram violence
found its echo in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly today with CPM and Majlis Ittehadul
Muslimeen (MIM) members resorting to a war of words, questioning each other's
commitment to the cause of minorities.
MIM floor leader A Owaisi caused a flutter
when he sought to draw a parallel between anti-Muslim riots in Gujarat and
the violence in Nandigram.
"The West Bengal Chief Minister (Buddhadeb
Bhattacharjee) is speaking the language of (Narendra) Modi. He has justified
attacks by CPM cadres. Muslims are being targeted there," Owaisi said,
while participating in a discussion on minorities welfare.
His remark evoked strong protests from the
CPM whose floor leader N Narasimhaiah dubbed MIM as a "party confined
to the old city of Hyderabad" which had no right to comment on developments
in West Bengal.
Heated exchanges followed as the two leaders
threw challenges at each other.
Accusing the CPM of adopting double standards
on the issue of land acquisitions for industrial projects, Owaisi, whose party
has five MLAs in the 294-member Assembly, said the Left party was going all
out in West Bengal in taking away the lands from farmers in the name of developing
special economic zones (SEZs) while opposing land acquisitions in states like
Andhra Pradesh. (Agencies)