Parliamentary panels applying different standards in dealing with complaints by and against BJP MPs: BSP MP Danish Ali
The Hindu
Bahujan Samaj Party MP Danish Ali has accused Parliamentary panels of applying different standards to recent complaints filed by and against MPs from the ruling BJP.
Bahujan Samaj Party MP Danish Ali has accused Parliamentary panels of applying different standards to recent complaints filed by and against MPs from the ruling BJP.
In a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Mr. Ali said that BJP MP Nishikant Dubey’s complaint against Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, which is under the purview of the Lok Sabha’s Ethics Committee, is being treated differently from the Opposition’s complaints against BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri for using communally charged and abusive language against Mr. Ali, which is under the consideration of the LS Privileges Committee.
The established Parliamentary procedure, Mr. Ali said, is to call the complainant before the panel first, before calling the accused. “However, in contravention of all set norms, the member, who is accused of making unbecoming remarks against me, appears to have been called and it is proved by the fact that I have not been called for the committee to place my position till now,” he said. On the other hand, he pointed out, the Ethics committee which is deliberating on Mr. Dubey’s complaint against Ms. Moitra has called the BJP MP first, sticking to Parliamentary norms.
Mr. Bidhuri was called by the Privileges Committee on October 10 but he skipped the meeting, citing a “pressing commitment”. He was campaigning in Rajasthan’s Tonk district; six days after he made the “abusive remarks” in Parliament, the BJP had appointed him in-charge of the Tonk region. No further meeting of the Privileges Committee has been called.
In striking contrast, within three days of Mr. Dubey’s October 15 letter to Mr. Birla accusing Ms. Moitra of taking money for asking Parliamentary questions, his complaint was referred to the Ethics panel of the Lok Sabha, which has now called for a meeting on the issue on October 26. On Thursday night, a week before the slated meeting, the Hiranandani Group CEO, who has been accused of colluding with Ms. Moitra, turned approver in the case.
Mr. Ali also criticised the Ethics panel chairperson Vinod Kumar Sonkar for openly discussing Mr. Dubey’s complaints and the documents he has received. “I see this as a violation of Rule 275 of the Rules of Procedure in the Lok Sabha by none other than the chairman of the Ethics Committee. I also wonder how two sets of procedures are being followed in a similar set of notice/complaint,” Mr. Ali said in his letter.
The Opposition Congress demanded that the government open the Gandhi Vatika Museum, depicting Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy and freedom struggle, built at a cost of ₹85 crore in Jaipur’s Central Park last year, during the Congress-led regime in Rajasthan. The museum has not been opened to the public, reportedly because of the administration’s engagements with the State Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.
Almaya Munnettam (Lay People to the Fore), group in the Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese of the Syro-Malabar Church opposed to the synod-recommended Mass, rejected a circular issued by Major Archbishop Raphael Thattil and apostolic administrator Bosco Puthur on June 9 to implement the unified Mass in the archdiocese from July 3.
Pakistan coach Gary Kirsten stated that “not so great decision making” contributed to his side’s defeat to India in the Group-A T20 World Cup clash here on Sunday. The batting unit came apart in the chase, after being well placed at 72 for two. With 48 runs needed from eight overs, Pakistan found a way to panic and lose. “Maybe not so great decision making,” Kirsten said at the post-match press conference, when asked to explain the loss.