The cash-for-question scandal dominated proceedings in the Lok Sabha today, with Speaker Somnath Chaterjee terming it as ‘‘shameful’’ and asking members caught accepting money on camera not to attend the House till the inquiry was complete. The Speaker made a suo moto statement soon after the House convened for the day. ‘‘Certain very serious events have come to my notice, as also that of many other honourable members. The matter will be looked into with all the importance it deserves.. I shall certainly ask the honourable members to explain what has happened. ‘‘In the meantime, I am making a personal request to all of them (those allegedly involved) to please not attend the session until the matter is looked into and a decision is taken,’’ the Speaker said. The Lok Sabha secretariat subsequently issued showcause notices to the 10 members, asking them to give their replies by Wednesday. Since MPs from all prominent political parties were involved, the issue could not be overlooked. Cutting across party lines, Lok Sabha members said the MPs’ conduct had lowered the dignity of Parliament, and demanded strict action against those found guilty. Describing the scandal as a ‘‘sordid affair’’, Pawan Kumar Bansal of the Congress demanded ‘‘deterrent and exemplary punishment’’ in the matter, while Prabhu Nath Singh of JD(U) said the members should be disqualified. CPI(M) leader Basudeb Acharya said the actions of the members had ‘‘defamed Parliament’’ and called for ‘‘stringent punishment’’ against them. Leader of the House, Pranab Mukherjee, complimented the Speaker for taking the initiative in the matter. This, he said, had restored the dignity of the Lok Sabha to some degree. He said that all members supported him. ‘‘We rise as one behind you,’’ he said. He also expressed satisfaction that all political parties had already taken action against the MPs concerned. Nod to disaster management bill NEW DELHI: Funds collected by NGOs for relief will be subject to scrutiny under law and must be spent for the purpose for which they are collected. The Disaster Management Bill that was unanimously passed in the Lok Sabha today provides for the disaster management authority to interact closely with similar bodies in other countries and pool resources. On planning committees at the district level, Home Minister Shivraj Patil said the responsibility was being vested with the head of the zila parishad and the district collector. Inclusion of the collector was necessary because the authority of the zila parishad chief was limited which could lead to problems in an emergency. The minister said the help of MPs and MLAs would be taken in the district advisory bodies but legislators and members of local bodies were too numerous and hence could not be included in the bodies. —ENS
