Lok Sabha to discuss intolerance issue on Opposition notice

The issue of intolerance is to come up in the Lok Sabha today with the Speaker accepting notices of CPI- M member P Karunakaran and Congress MP K C Venugopal for a discussion on the matter. The two opposition members had given notices for a discussion on the issue under rule 193, which does not entail voting.

Opposition has been seeking a discussion on the issue for quite some time. At the all-party meeting held on November 25th, opposition parties made a strong pitch for an early discussion on the issue, insisting that returning of awards by writers,



artistes and filmmakers should not be taken lightly.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu had said that the government was ready to discuss all issues including that of so called intolerance though it fell in the domain of states. He had said government is particularly aware of the opposition's concerns over some recent unfortunate incidents including the one at Dadri and killing of noted writer M M Kalburgi. Mr Naidu said that government has condemned those incidents as they go against the highly cherished traditional values of tolerance.