The Hindu : New Delhi News : Ministers unhappy over Speaker's decisions

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Apr 13, 2005

New Delhi

New Delhi

Ministers unhappy over Speaker's decisions

By Sujay Mehdudia

NEW DELHI, APRIL 12. The recent budget session of the Delhi Assembly may have brought out the new face of dissidence in the Congress but it also saw the relationship between the Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, and the Assembly Speaker, Chaudhary Prem Singh, touching a new low. For their part, the Ministers too were upset with the Speaker for reprimanding them frequently inside the House.

Notwithstanding the Speaker's assertions that his actions were unbiased and neutral, the loyalist group has maintained that he had deliberately embarrassed the Government by not only showing the Ministers in poor light but also nominating dissident legislators to the three important House Committees and also to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi. The Ministers had also complained to Ms. Dikshit about "indifferent treatment" they received at the hands of the Speaker. Interestingly, one of the Ministers who had performed outstandingly in the Assembly but was at the receiving end was the Education Minister, Arvinder Singh Lovely. Although he replied to questions without any hesitation inside the House, he was subjected to some harsh comments by the Chair.

Similarly, the Food and Supplies Minister, Raj Kumar Chauhan, holds a grudge against the Speaker for grilling him during Question Hour and on the last day of the House. However, Mr. Chauhan had also faulted in questioning the Speaker for having put his discussion on the public distribution system for April 5.

However, the recent actions of the Speaker have done little to improve his relations with the Chief Minister. For instance, Mr. Prem Singh first nominated all three dissident MLAs to head the important House Committees. Now he has nominated 10 ruling party MLAs to the MCD without consulting the Chief Minister, a practice that was always followed in the past.

Interestingly, a majority of those who have been nominated to the House include those belonging to the dissident group and this is seen as a move to embarrass the Chief Minister further. A total of 14 MLAs are sent to the Corporation of which four belong to the Opposition.

It is understood that this action of the Speaker has further increased the distance between the Chief Minister and the Speaker and the situation is likely to take a turn for the worse in the coming days. "The next session of the Delhi Assembly will be held some time in September now. Till then there is hardly any interaction between the Chief Minister and the Speaker. Also, the 10 MLAs sent to the Corporation have hardly any role to perform. But the Speaker should have at least consulted Ms. Dikshit on the matter,'' a senior Minister remarked. However, the rivals of Ms. Dikshit are of the view that it is the prerogative of Mr. Prem Singh to nominate the MLAs to the House Committees and to the Corporation and other such bodies.

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