CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Tuesday questioned the decision of Rajya Sabha Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu to disqualify JD (U) rebels Sharad Yadav and Ali Anwar .
Mr. Yechury questioned the alacrity with which the decision was arrived at by the Chairman without sending it to the parliamentary committee as has been the norm.
“No one is questioning the right of the Chairman to decide the matter. But to help him come to an informed conclusion, these committees are there. The Ethics and Privileges committees are nominated exclusively by the Chairman to aid him,” Mr. Yechury said.
Mr. Yechury has been member of both the Ethics and Privileges committees for the last 10 years. “According to my reading of the anti-defection rules, it is more to do with conduct in the House, this is not to say that outside conduct is excluded,” he added.
He pointed out that since the break up of the Mahagatbandhan, there has been no Parliament session and therefore the question of impropriety on part of both Mr. Yadav and Mr. Ali did not arise.
According to the Vice-President’s office, the decision not to send it to any parliamentary committee was made after analysing seven previous cases. They claimed that the Privilege committee did not do anything substantial.
“It is an unfair comment and shows scant respect to established parliamentary norms. This is also against the eternal juridical principle that a person is innocent till proven guilty. To construe the due process as a delaying tactic is casting aspersion on the committees held so far,” he added.
