Lok Sabha impasse ends as Anurag Thakur expresses anguish over his remarks

Union minister Anurag Thakur on Friday expressed anguish if his remarks made earlier in the day had hurt some members and following this, the Lok Sabha proceedings resumed after repeated adjournments.

The lower House witnessed four adjournments after Thakur's remark on the Nehru-Gandhi family while referring to the PM National Relief Fund.

The trust was set up during the tenure of former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and was not even registered as a public trust but it got all relevant clearance, including FCRA, Thakur said intervening during introduction of the Taxation and other Laws (Relaxation of Certain Provisions) Bill.

"The PM Cares Fund is a constitutionally set up public charitable trust. PM National Relief Fund was set up only for the benefits of one family -- Nehru-Gandhi family," he said.

The Congress immediately strongly protested Thakur's remarks, leading to Speaker Om Birla adjourning the house.

When the House convened at 6 pm after the adjournments, Thakur said, "I had no intention of hurting anyone but if someone has been hurt, I express my anguish."

Praising members for their extraordinary efforts during this difficult time, the Speaker said the whole world will hail India, which is the largest democracy, for running Parliament in the interest of people in such a situation.

"If anyone thinks that the Chair has hurt someone, I would like to say that it may be unintentional. For me every member is equal and protecting every member is my duty," Birla said.

"If I say anything to anyone, the intention is not to hurt anyone but to run this House smoothly. If someone has been hurt in that process, I personally seek apology from him or her," he added.

Defence Minister and Deputy Leader of the House Rajnath Singh praised the Speaker for running the House smoothly.

"The way you handled today's stalemate is praiseworthy," Singh said.