A breach of privilege move against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh moved by the Left parties over the alleged non-fulfillment of an assurance made to the House was rejected by Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee on Friday. In an apparent bid to embarrass the Government, the Left parties argued that the PM had assured the House on July 22 that he would come to Parliament before operationalising the 123 Agreement and that he had failed to do so. The Left parties alleged that he had violated the assurance, thus causing a breach of privilege and contempt of the House.Maintaining that non-fulfillment of an assurance did not construe breach of privilege or contempt of the House, Chatterjee dismissed the notices ruling that no breach of privilege had been committed by the PM. Quoting rules and their interpretation, the Speaker said, “I have disallowed the notices of question of privilege” and added that no reference, therefore, was required to be made to the Presiding Officer of Rajya Sabha, of which the PM was a member.The CPI(M) now plans to take the matter to the Assurances Committee of Parliament. Sources in the CPI(M) said the notice of breach of privilege moved in the Lok Sabha was rejected by the Speaker on the ground that the PM was not a member of the House.
