The Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday demanded American evangelist Benny Hinn's arrest and a judicial probe by a sitting Supreme Court judge into his 'Festival of Blessings -- Pray for India' programme in Bangalore.
As the Karnataka assembly commenced the day's business, BJP leader B S Yediyurappa and his colleagues were on their feet urging Speaker Krishna for an immediate debate on an adjournment motion sought to be moved by the party over the issue.
However, Revenue Minister M P Prakash, Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil, Forest Minister Gurupadappa Nagamarpalli, former minister D K Shivakumar and others from the Treasury Benches opposed accepting the demand for suspending Question Hour and permitting a debate.
This led to an uproar, with Prakash and Patil saying that the rules stated that the House could not take up for debate two adjournment motions on a day -- the Opposition had sought to move a similar motion to debate on the issue of drinking water scarcity.
Yediyurappa said there was an urgent need to order for the pastor's arrest before he left the country and charged the government with aiding the evangelist's conversion programme.
Intervening, Chief Minister N Dharam Singh said the government was ready to reply, but wanted to go by the listed agenda.
The speaker later ruled he would go through Question Hour and consider permitting a debate only after that.
Order was restored after the BJP accepted the speaker's ruling.
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