Speaker promises to look into 'security breach' in House

New Delhi, Mar 10: Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee today assured opposition members that he would look into the alleged breach of security of the House by the personal security officer (PSO) of Priyanka Gandhi yesterday and share the report with them.

Congress member Rahul Gandhi's maiden speech on the budget in House yesterday was preceded by a controversy that the PSO had carried a gun with him to the Speaker's gallery from where Priyanka and her husband, Robert Vadra, were watching the young MP deliver his speech.

Another version said the PSO had accompanied the couple to the gallery without any authorisation and had to be asked to come out by the watch and ward staff of Parliament and their refusal to the officer's entry reportedly led to a commotion.

The issue was raised by BJP deputy leader Vijay Malhotra during zero hour when he asked how a PSO with a weapon had entered unhindered into the Speaker's gallery.

After the attack on Parliament in 2002, the Special Committee constituted for devising a fool-proof security had already spent Rs 200 crore for that purpose, he said, asking whether that exercise had gone waste.

Mr Malhotra was joined by several of his party members and also those from JD(U) who wanted to know whether there was an exemption in the laws for members of a certain family.

How could anyone be above the law of the land, asked Mr Prabhunath Singh (JD-U), adding that every MP was supposed to leave their bodyguards outside before entering Parliament premises.

The Speaker repeatedly said the security of Parliament falls under his jurisdiction and he had called for a report on the issue.

Amid the Speaker's assurances to the House, members of both treasury and opposition benches resorted to acrimonious exchanges.

The Congress members were up on their feet when some BJP members made some uncharitable remarks against them.

UNI