Lalu miffed over RJD room being given to Trinamool

New Delhi, Sep 8: Miffed over the RJD office room in Parliament being allotted to Trinamool Congress, Lalu Prasad has shot off a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar asking her to reconsider the decision.

The RJD chief, who has also raised the issue with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, was determined not to give up his party's claim on Room No.129 saying "this has been our room and will remain our office." Prasad told reporters today that a similar situation had arisen earlier also when this room was allotted to BSP but the matter was later resolved.

Prasad's party was given this room during UPA 1 when he was Railway Minister and his party had 24 MPs in Lok Sabha. Now RJD's strength in Lok Sabha is reduced to four. It has four members in the Rajya Sabha.

Trinamool Congress, which has 19 MPs in Lok Sabha and two in Rajya Sabha does not have an office room though it does have a chamber for Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi.

According to the Parliament rules a party with a minimum of seven MPs in both Houses is entitled to a room and the size of the room given to parties depend upon their strength in the Houses. While the rooms for ministers are allotted by the Government, Speaker does it in case of party offices.

In the latest allotment, Mamata Banerjee's party was given room 129 while the RJD was given a smaller room number 125. After the room was alloted to Trinamool Congress, two of its MPs yesterday went to see Room Number 129 but found it occupied by RJD members.

"They were not knowing that we are already keeping the room. We called them inside and offered them tea. There is no dispute between us," RJD MP Jagtanand Singh said.

PTI