Damage control: House goes into huddle

Subsequently the Speaker called an all-party meeting to decide on a suitable course of action. But, at the same Mr. Chatterjee ‘‘effectively suspended’’ the accused MPs by asking them not to attend the House until the inquiry was involved) to please do not attend the session until the inquiry was over.

By 5.30 p.m., taking note of the mood of the House, he appointed a five-member Special Committee under the chairmanship of Congress MP Pawan Kumar Bansal, to look into the episode and submit a report by December 21, 4 p.m. The report would be presented in the Lok Sabha the same day.

Therefater, high-level sources said, a motion would be moved in the House, either by the Chairman of the Special Committee or by the government, seeking the disqualification or explusion of the accused MPs on the basis of the report.

The Rajya Sabha did not lose out on its share of the drama. When Chairman Bharion Singh Shekhawat expressed his ‘‘anguish’’ over the manner in which the dignity and the prestige of Parliament was comprised on the cash-on-camera sting—‘Operation Duryodhan’—not a soul stirred in the House. The display of lungpower that usually dominates House proceedings was completely absent.

The case of the lone Rajya Sabha member involved, the BJP’s Chattrapal Singh, was referred to the Ethics Committee chaired by senior Congress leader Karan Singh, which by evening decided to issue a show-cause to him with a 48-hour deadline .

Unlike the Lok Sabha, where the rules of the Ethics Committee are yet to be formulated, the Rajya Sabha already has such a body well-established. The BJP’s deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha and member of the RS Ethics Committee, Sushma Swaraj, said, ‘‘The Committee has called for the (cash-on-camera) tapes to verify their authencity before any action is taken.’’

LS SPECIAL COMMITTEE

Terms of reference: It has been authorised by the Speaker to set its own procedure and rules to conduct the probe against the MPs. It will have full powr to conduct an independent inquiry.). Chairman: Pawan Kumar Bansal (Congress). Members: V.K. Malhotra (BJP), Mhd. Salim (CPI-M), Ram Gopal Yadav (SP), C. Kuppuswamy (DMK).

RS ETHICS COMMITTEE

Chairman: Karan Singh. Members: Bimal Jalan (nominated), Sushma Swaraj (BJ), Nilotpal Basu (CPI-M), Janeshwar Mishra (SP), P.G. Narayanan (AIADMK), R. Chadrashekhar Reddy (TDP), Ramdeo Bhandari (RJD), Mayawati (BSP), B.J. Panda (BJD).