 |
| Footage shows the scuffle that broke out between BSP and Samajwadi Party MPs in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. (PTI) |
New Delhi, Sept. 5: The Rajya Sabha today brought to light hidden talent India sorely missed at the London Olympics.
Here’s a list of contenders whose sporting and other skills were showcased when a Constitution amendment bill, which reserves promotions for government employees belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, was moved in the House today.
Naresh Agrawal
Possible event: Steeplechase
The MP from the Samajwadi Party, which is against the bill, taught spectators a lesson or two in how to scale human hurdles. The six-foot-plus Agrawal raced to the well of the House and broke through a hurdle in the form of Avatar Singh Karimpuri of the BSP, which supports the bill that helps its Dalit votebank.
Agrawal also showed would-be athletes how to raise the bar: he tried to scamper on to the dais where the presiding officer sits and attempted to grab the microphone. It took nearly four House marshals to thwart him. But no one missed his victorious smile.
Avatar Singh Karimpuri
Possible event: Wrestling
The MP from the BSP grabbed Agrawal by his collar to prevent him from trooping into the well. The scuffle continued for a few minutes before other BSP members, on cue from their leader Mayawati, intervened and disentangled the two. Later, when a beaming Mayawati left the House, Karimpuri, with a smile that rivalled any medal winner’s sense of triumph, was among the first to dive to touch her feet. Mayawati seemed pleased enough to place her hand on his head and bless him.
Renuka Chowdhary
Possible event: Rugby (Alas! It is not yet an Olympic event)
The feisty Congress MP formed an impregnable wall in front of minister V. Narayanasamy, who introduced the bill. So firmly rooted was Renuka that the Samajwadi MPs (the formidable Agrawal was not among them) found it impossible to break through. Renuka blocked the aisle and the row where Narayanasamy was standing. Soon some other Congress MPs formed a multi-tier ring and helped Renuka who was in the innermost tier.
V. Narayanasamy
Possible event: Choreography of opening ceremony
The irrepressible minister of state for personnel and training was best prepared for the high-voltage events.
For some reason, Narayanasamy got up to introduce the bill not from his usual seat (which is in the row behind where the Prime Minister sits) but deep in the third row in the adjacent column. Out of harm’s way, the Prime Minister sat through the ruckus. That the government was expecting trouble was unmistakable, though some unkind souls suggested that it was not averse to some trouble as long as attention was diverted from the coal controversy.
The bill
Possible parallel: India’s prospects at the Olympics
Too hard to predict the bill’s fate. As on Wednesday evening, it has been introduced in the Rajya Sabha. The bill needs two-thirds majority for passage. The government has said it will try to get the bill passed on Thursday.
|
