Chatterjee chides CPI(M); BSP, Left walkout over his ruling

New Delhi, Oct 21 (UNI) The BSP and Left members walked out of the Lok Sabha today over Speaker Somnath Chatterjee's ruling that the complaint by BSP member Brajesh Pathak of an alleged threat to him by CBI officials be treated as closed.

As soon as the House reassembled after being adjourned till 1400 hrs over the issue, Mr Pathak and other BSP members were again on their feet, opposing the Speaker's ruling.

Mr Basudeb Acharia (CPI-M) also got up to raise an important issue which he was denied during zero hour due to pandemonium in the House.

The Speaker said he had already given him (Mr Acharia) opportunity, but his deputy leader, Mohd Salim, did not allow him to speak.

''Your deputy leader was more anxious to speak,'' Mr Chatterjee chided Mohd Salim, who had earlier spoken in support Mr Pathak, saying the Speaker's ruling was not as important as the inquiry procedure.

This infuriated Mohd Salim who stood on his feet and started raising his voice along with other CPI(M) members, prompting Mr Chatterjee to remark that everybody cannot show red eyes to the Speaker.

''You are making a mockery of this Parliament,'' he said even as BSP members trooped into the well, raising slogan, 'Loktantra ki hatya roko (Stop the murder of democracy)'.

Mr Ananth Kumar (BJP), who had started speaking on the demands for supplementary grants (general) for 2008-09, could not be heard in the din and had to lay his speech on the table.

After a few minutes of slogan-shouting, the BSP members staged a walkout.

Soon the Left members followed suit.

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