The Hindu : National : UPA, Left, TDP to raise Speaker issue today

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Friday, Aug 11, 2006

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National

UPA, Left, TDP to raise Speaker issue today

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI : Having taken a serious view of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee questioning the impartiality of Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, the UPA, Left parties and Telugu Desam Party on Thursday came together and decided to raise the issue in the House on Friday.

The Lok Sabha was adjourned on Thursday as the ruling coalition benches clashed with the Opposition over its boycott of Mr. Chatterjee on Tuesday. Very little business could be transacted and after three adjournments in quick succession, Deputy Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal called it a day.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) wanted Mr. Vajpayee to express regret for his letter to Mr. Chatterjee in which he suggested that the presiding officer of the Lok Sabha did not inspire confidence in the Opposition. The only business that was transacted was the tabling of papers; that, too, amid the din.

Later in the evening, leaders of the UPA allies, the Left parties, Samajwadi Party and the TDP met and decided that the Leader of the House Pranab Mukherjee would make a statement in the House on Friday reflecting on the dignity of the Chair. The idea was that after a brief statement by Mr. Mukherjee, leaders of other political parties would record their parties' stand on the issue. The statement would be brief and possibly deplore the manner in which Mr. Vajpayee's letter attacked the institution of the Speaker, sources said.

However, before that stage the Government has decided to speak to the Leader of the Opposition L.K. Advani, so as not to create an impression of confrontation between the ruling coalition and the principal party in the Opposition.

At a separate press conference, Communist Party of India parliamentary party leader Gurudas Dasgupta said the Left parties want Mr. Vajpayee to express regret.

``We have not demanded an apology but want him to regret. We are leaving it to his wisdom. We want the views of all political parties to go on record on it for such a thing has never happened in the history of Indian Parliament and should not happen in future.''

BJP spokesperson Vijay Kumar Malhotra criticised the Congress and the Left and charged that their members disrupted question hour.

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