PM's remarks on C'Wealth Games breach of parliamentary privilege: BJP

The BJP today attacked prime minister Manmohan Singh for "overlooking" Parliament on the Commonwealth Games controversy while making a statement outside it on the issue, saying it was "clearly a breach of privilege".

BJP spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy told reporters that the prime minister had "been silent" on the issue of corruption in CWG when his party and other opposition raised it for 15 days in Parliament and had held a meeting to make his statement.

The prime minister, who chaired a meeting to review preparations for the Games on Saturday, had while clipping the wings of organising committee Suresh Kalmadi given overriding powers to a committee of secretaries, headed by cabinet esercretary, to supervise preparations for the October event.

Rudy said, "This is clearly a breach of Parliament as the session is in progress now and the prime minister has overlooked Parliament to make his statements outside it."

Rudy said besides the opposition parties, including the BJP, which had raised the issue and criticised what was going on in the name of CWG, some Congress members too had done so.

"Instead of taking Parliament into confidence, the prime minister preferred to make comments outside Parliament and given statements on the issue," he said.

"We will certainly ask inside Parliament why the prime minister did not take Parliament into confidence," he said.