The BJP is exploring possibilities of moving a ‘no-confidence motion’ against lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, whom the principal Opposition accused of acting in a ‘partisan’ manner to adopt the highly controversial JPC report on 2G scam without a debate.
The report was tabled in the lok Sabha on Monday and BJP alleged the Speaker did not allow their leaders Yashwant Sinha and Gopinath Munde to make their points. The BJP members in the panel were upset with panel Chairman PC Chacko’s decision to tamper with their dissent notes.
“The way she (Meira Kumar) conducted herself on Monday was unbecoming of a Speaker. She did not allow Opposition leaders, who are members of the JPC, to make their point on the report, which is a fraud on truth. We are discussing amongst us the possibility of moving a no-confidence motion against the Speaker,” a senior BJP leader told The Pioneer.
The matter was raised in the BJP’s parliamentary party meeting here on Tuesday and party leaders decided to look into all possibilities of moving such a motion against the Speaker.
This could be the second case of a serious confrontation between the Speaker and the principal Opposition this year. Earlier in April, the BJP had announced to boycott all meetings called by the Speaker, whom they accused of ‘inaction’ when UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi incited Congress MPs to disrupt Opposition leader Sushma Swaraj’s speech on Coalgate.
The Speaker’s office, however, defended Meira Kumar’s action saying only after a report has been presented and becomes a property of the House, it can be discussed. “Therefore, no discussion is possible on a Report that has not been presented to House,” read a Press release issued by the lok Sabha secretariat on Tuesday.
“There is no Rule/Direction or precedent or parliamentary convention or any Constitutional obligation allowing a discussion or raising of a point of order before the presentation of a report,” it further stated.
The lS Secretariat claimed no point of order can be raised after the Speaker has given a ruling on a subject as every ruling is final in the matter. “It is the parliamentary convention that the decision from the Speaker cannot be questioned or challenged through a point of order or through a discussion,” it said.
As the JPC report met the same fate in the Rajya Sabha, leader of Opposition Arun Jaitley wrote on Facebook: “The only consolation I have is that the Government stands exposed. The Emperor is without clothes. Even a Parliamentary coverup through a JPC will not save it of the
embarrassment”.
Arguing that the ‘Majority Report bypasses most of these issues’, Jaitley said, “On the contrary it has devoted large sections of the Report to blame the NDA Government. Obviously, the report will carry no credibility”.
Pointing out that the note of dissent given by the Opposition MPs to the JPC Chairman has been edited, Jaitley also wrote, “If we want that the dignity of the Parliamentary institutions be maintained, we must ensure that the truth surfaces and not be covered up”.
BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad described the JPC report as a ‘malafide’ report. “Congress is like the former blue line bus of Delhi, will keep moving despite serious accidents. 2G JPC report is a fraud. Government is presenting a report which hides truth. They can go to any extent to hide truth,” he said.