Suspended Samajwadi members meet Hamid Ansari; apologise for behaviour

All the four suspended Rajya Sabha members of SP have met chairman Hamid Ansari and apologised for their unruly behaviour on Monday over the Women's Reservation Bill, a move that could pave the way for revocation of their suspension.

Kamal Akhtar, Nand Kishore Yadav, Veerpal Singh Yadav and Amir Alam Khan told Ansari that their protest was not directed against him but against the government, sources said.

When contacted, Nand Kishore Yadav confirmed that he and Kamal Akhtar had met Ansari but refused to admit that they had apologised.

"We did meet the chairman. He had called us. Neither he nor did we raise the issue (of the MPs' conduct)," he said.

"We have not apologised...He had called us to say that the Samajwadi Party should participate in the proceedings," Yadav said.

He said that they had no issues with the chairman and "it was the Congress party's conspiracy to get us suspended. The fight is between that party and us".

The four MPs are believed to have apologised privately as part of a compromise formula under which their suspension would be revoked.

Three other suspended members -- Ejaz Ali (unattached), Sabir Ali (LJP) and Subhash Yadav (RJD) -- have not so far tendered any apology.

In fact Ejaz Ali told reporters, "I will not apologise. Our stand remains unchanged (towards the bill)."