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Privilege move against 32 MPs

Neena Vyas

Checking disorderly conduct

Parliament has to function smoothly
Verbal warnings issued to many more members

NEW DELHI: Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee has referred to the Committee of Privileges cases of disorderly behaviour by 32 MPs of several political parties on two occasions on April 24. Verbal warnings have been issued to many more and action would be taken if these go unheeded.

Quoting Rule 227 under which “the Speaker may refer any question of privilege to the Committee of Privileges for examination, investigation or report,” the Speaker has signalled that the time may have come for him to take tough action to ensure that Parliament functions smoothly and in accordance with rules.

Senior leaders from different parties have been expressing the view privately that one, two or a few MPs cannot be allowed to hold the entire House to ransom, to prevent others from participating in the proceedings or hear what a fellow MP may be saying on any issue.

In the second part of the budget session, the Speaker warned MPs several times that disciplinary action would be taken against them if they persisted in stalling Parliament. Apparently, when a large number of MPs continuously raised slogans on April 24, he made up his mind to take action.

Sources in the Lok Sabha secretariat say that the Privileges Committee would examine the MPs’ conduct and suggest some suitable action. The Committee normally completes its work within a short span of time. Of course, the report may not come this session, which ends on May 9.

Mr. Chatterjee has referred the matter of “disorderly conduct” by Brajesh Pathak of the Bahujan Samaj Party on April 24 when he asked a supplementary question, but did not allow Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers Ram Vilas Paswan to answer. The matter was referred to the committee on April 25.

Trooping into well

The same day, MPs of the National Democratic Alliance formed a human chain in the Parliament House complex to mark their protest against price rise and remained absent during Question Hour. Around noon, they trooped into the well, raising slogans. Pleas by the Chair went unheeded and this forced an adjournment.

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