Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu has been getting the opinion of experts for the formation of a special committee to decide what punishment to award to lawmakers responsible for violent disruptions in the House during the Parliament’s monsoon session, sources told CNN-News18 on Friday. The government has requested that such MPs be strictly penalised, they added. The Chairman through the course of the last couple of days has met former Rajya Sabha secretary generals and has also sought detailed accounts of similar instances in the past and all such committees that were formed, including one by former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee.
The monsoon session of Parliament that came to an abrupt end on Wednesday, two days ahead of schedule, witnessed a cycle of protests, disruptions and adjournments in both Houses with the government and opposition in discordance over a range of issues such as the Pegasus snooping controversy and the farmers’ protests.
Congress’s Partap Singh Bajwa hit the headlines after being seen on video throwing the rulebook at the Rajya Sabha Chair while his colleagues egged him on. Violent scenes were witnessed on Wednesday before the adjournment of the session sine die. CCTV footage showed Congress women MPs jostling with women marshals and a male marshal being manhandled by CPI(M) lawmaker E Kareem.
Sources say the committee to be formed will be a special purpose one and will have a clear mandate with regard to the episodes that occurred during the monsoon session of Parliament. It is also being said that it will be a committee with between 6 to 12 members, ideally all from Rajya Sabha. It is also likely to be chaired by House Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh. The committee would be expected to investigate the matters put before it and also come up with suitable punishments, which will act as a deterrent against any such cases in the future.
According to sources, the committee is expected to be announced within a week’s time.
It is also being said that some members would like to bring a privilege motion in this matter.
The Chairman expressed his displeasure over the behaviour of some lawmakers on the last day of the monsoon session and when opposition MPs continued to shout slogans while he was speaking. An upset Naidu did not return to the House for the passage of the OBC Bill nor for the adjournment sine die.
Read all the Latest News, Breaking News and Special: Live-updating IPL 2022 auction tally | IPL Mega Auction Live Updates here.
Comments
0 comment