NDA silent on column, Speaker puts off ruling

However, according to sources, NDA leaders did not convey their decision to the Speaker at his customary morning meeting with leaders of all political parties. On Friday, when leaders had met in the Speaker’s chamber after the House was adjourned following a furore on the issue, Malhotra had said he would convey the decision of the NDA this morning.

On Friday itself, there was a clear division in the House. Ramjilal Suman (SP) first raised the issue and several members from the Left, SP and RJD joined him in decrying the newspaper column. Even Prabhunath Singh JD(U) had supported a privilege motion against the writer and publisher of the column.

But V K Malhotra had refused to go along with the rest, pointing out that no institution—including that of Speaker—was ‘‘above criticism.’’ Any breach of privilege motion would be detrimental to the freedom of the Press, he had insisted.

At the closed door meeting later, Pranab Mukherjee had reportedly suggested an alternative—that the House pass a unanimous resolution against the newspaper column. Members such as Devendra Prasad Yadav (RJD), Ramjilal Suman (SP), Hannan Mollah (CPM), and P K Bansal (Cong) had agreed to the proposal but felt that if it was not unanimous then a breach of privilege motion should be admitted.

It was that this point that Malhotra had asked for time and said he would get back today after NDA leaders took a decision on the issue. But the BJP did not make their stand clear either at the Speaker’s meeting or when the issue was raised in the House during Zero Hour, leaving ‘‘the matter alive’’, sources said.

The matter was raised today by Devendra Prasad Yadav, Hannan Mollah, Ramjilal Suman and others who wanted to know the fate of their demand. The Speaker said he would give his ruling later.

There were two interpretations of that ruling. While a section felt that the Speaker did not want to press the matter any more in light of the BJP’s adamant stand, the other view was that the matter was very much alive and had got intertwined with the larger BJP versus Speaker battle that has been simmering for quite some time.