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Tuesday, May 06, 2008
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Somnath agrees to withdraw privilege move against MPs

Neena Vyas and Aarti Dhar

Relating to “disorderly conduct” of 32 Members; adjourns House sine die

— Photo: Shanker Chakravarty

MUM IS THE WORD: BJP MPs (from left) Sangeeta Singh Deo, Sirichand Kripalani and Syed Shahnawaz Khan with Congress MP Jyotiraditya Scindia during a “mouth shut” protest at the Parliament House in New Delhi on Monday. They were protesting against the Speaker referring the “disorderly” conduct of 32 MPs to the Committee on Privileges.

NEW DELHI: The Lok Sabha was adjourned sine die here on Monday marking the end of the two-part budget session even as Speaker Somnath Chatterjee signalled that he was ready to withdraw the matter of privilege against 32 MPs.

Earlier, leaders from the Opposition and the ruling party met Mr. Chatterjee and assured him full cooperation in the smooth conduct of parliamentary business.

It is learnt that the government, after consulting the Opposition and getting its consent, had written to the Speaker asking for a sine die adjournment on Monday, four days ahead of schedule as most of important official business, including the Finance Bill, had been transacted.

As soon as the Lok Sabha convened, tributes were paid and a two-minute silence observed as a mark of respect to Nirmala Deshpande, Gandhian and member of the Rajya Sabha, who passed away on May 1.

The Speaker then abruptly adjourned the House till 2 p.m. Members of the National Democratic Alliance sat silently with fingers on their lips to protest against the Speaker referring their alleged disorderly conduct on April 24 to the Committee on Privileges.

The NDA leaders met in the morning and took the decision to protest, but the issue was later resolved and the House adjourned.

When the House met again, Leader of the House Pranab Mukherjee appealed to the Chair to reconsider his decision on sending the matter of “disorderly conduct” to the Committee on Privileges. He pointed out party leaders, including those of the Opposition, had assured the Speaker full cooperation in the smooth running of Parliament, at a meeting in his chamber. This was endorsed by the Leader of the Opposition L.K. Advani.

Mr. Chatterjee then announced that “in view of the request” by leaders and “their assurance about the smooth running of the House,” which was his “only concern,” he had decided “to reconsider” and “withdraw” the reference to the committee sent by him on April 25 and 28 regarding the “disorderly conduct” of the MPs of various parties on two occasions on April 24.

Objection raised

Some members objected to details of the meeting at the Speaker’s chamber being leaked to the media and sought to know whether any apologies were tendered to broker the peace. This was strongly objected to by the BJP and its allies.

Mr. Chatterjee said no apologies were tendered and he agreed to reconsider his decision because his only concern was the smooth running of the House.

He added that instances of interruptions, forced adjournments and defying the authority of the Chair do not help our common goal of public welfare and executive accountability. “It is through debates and discussions that national policies and budget priorities can be influenced, which in turn would justify our role as Parliamentarians.”

The Speaker then adjourned the House sine die. The casualty of the day was a discussion on exclusion of the “creamy layer” from reservation for Other Backward Classes in higher educational institutions.

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