RS Chairman to meet members on Breach of Privilege notice

New Delhi, Mar 5 (UNI) Rajya Sabha Chairperson Hamid Ansari will convene a meeting with members of the House this evening, to resolve the issue arising out of the Breach of Privilege notice on frequent disruptions of Paliament.

The notice to the Chairman was given by Mr Santosh Bagrodia (Cong), Mr Manohar Joshi (Shiv Sena), Ms Supriya Sule (NCP) and some other MPs.

The decision was announced in the House when it met at 1200 hrs after adjournment forced by the UNPA members protesting against the notice.

Earlier, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi pleaded to the Chairman to find a way out saying that he understood the protesting members' sentiments, though recognising that there was a 'Lakshman Rekha'(certain limit) that should not be crossed.

Samajwadi Party members and UNPA leader Amar Singh said to the Chairman that he might have been pained by the members' behaviour but he should also not lose sight of the fact that members act only on their leaders' instructions to highlight issues of great importance to the nation.

The protest by UNPA members was not something new. The method to attract attention to various issues is resorted to by all members.

So it was unfortunate that only UNPA members had been named in the House gazette.

He urged the Chairman to treat all members equally, and said he and all the UNPA members would take part in the meeting slated for this evening. ''Our members respect the House,'' he said.

The Members who had given the privilege notice had contended that frequent disruption of Parliament by some members was an infringement on their fundamental rights of raising matters of public importance in the House.

UNI NAZ Mir KP1443