The Committee of Privileges can’t recommend punishment without collecting evidence in the incident in which a Congress MP used pepper spray in Parliament and a TDP member broke the glass and mike of the Lok Sabha Secretary-General, its chairman P.C. Chacko said on Monday.
The incident happened on Thursday when Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde was introducing the Bill to create Telangana.
Talking to The Hindu here, Mr. Chacko said he was yet to receive the order from Speaker Meira Kumar’s office, referring the matter to the committee. The committee was running short of time because the House would have sittings only till February 21.
The members had to be given at least a 24-hour notice for a meeting, and thereafter evidence had to be collected and Congress member from Vijayawada L. Rajagopal (who fired the pepper spray) and TDP member from Narasaraopet Modugula Venugopala Reddy (who broke the glass and the mike) had to be given an opportunity to give their version. Thereafter, the committee had to prepare its report for being tabled in the House with the Speaker’s approval. The House had to adopt its recommendations. “It is not that we can give punishment to the two members just like that,” Mr. Chacko said.
