The Hindu : National : Speaker yet to decide on privilege notices

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Aug 17, 2005

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National

Speaker yet to decide on privilege notices

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee indicated in the House on Tuesday that he had not yet taken any decision on admitting the notices of privilege he had received against the editor and the author of an article in a newspaper critical of him even as the National Democratic Alliance indicated that it would vote against such a motion if admitted.

The Speaker indicated that he would take a decision on the matter later this week.

The issue was raised last week when several MPs, including Ramjilal Suman of the Samajwadi Party and Hannan Mollah of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), referred to an article making critical references to the Speaker and alleging political bias. They gave notices of privilege and the matter was then discussed in the House with Mr. Chatterjee expressing himself in favour of dropping the matter.

However, some MPs insisted that the issue involved not only the prestige of the Chair but that of the House itself. A proposal that the House adopt a unanimous resolution condemning the article did not find favour with the Bharatiya Janata Party and some of its supporters. The BJP had, in fact, said that raising a privilege issue would be wrong as it would infringe upon press freedom. The argument was that the press was free to criticise other institutions, even the courts, so why not the Speaker's office?

On Tuesday, the issue came up at a meeting of the National Democratic Alliance chaired by Leader of the Opposition L.K. Advani. Afterwards, BJP spokesperson V.K. Malhotra told reporters that the NDA would "vote against" any privilege motion.

On another point, Mr. Malhotra objected to the disclosure of the Government's new anti-hijacking policy "outside the House" when Parliament was in session.

"This becomes a matter of privilege," he said.

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