The controversy over union minister TR Baalu using influence for his sons’ companies continued to dog the UPA government as another minister got into trouble.
Breach of privilege notice served on Murli Deora for speaking to the press
NEW DELHI: The controversy over union minister TR Baalu using influence for his sons’ companies continued to dog the UPA government as another minister got into trouble over the issue with a privilege notice slapped on him for speaking to the media before making a statement in the parliament.
With the break in parliament session till Monday coming as the only relief for the government, it feels cornered on the issue and hard put for a satisfactory response. What would be “proper”, going by what constitutional expert Subhash C Kashyap said, would be a tough call to take for a government, particularly a coalition government.
Kashyap said that going by media reports, Baalu should have resigned at once and waited till his name was cleared. Otherwise, the prime minister should have asked the president to relieve Baalu. This is what propriety demands. In this case, since the PM’s office and government was shielding the minister, the Lok Sabha could take the government to task.
The government was in defensive mode. Having promised a response on the issue on Wednesday evening, the government fielded petroleum minister Murli Deora for reading out a reply in Rajya Sabha while prime minister Manmohan Singh left as soon as the matter was taken up after the finance bill was passed.
BJP’s Sushma Swaraj sprang to her feet, demanding the PM’s presence and refusing to accept a response from Deora on an issue in which the PM’s office was involved as well. Protesting BJP members came to the well of the house, forcing deputy chairman K Rehman Khan to adjourn it till Monday, even while Deora was struggling to finish his reply.
Deora, explaining for the PMO, said the PMO has not issued any order to help the company owned by TR Baalu’s family but made “certain references” in a “routine manner” and “without any recommendation” on the basis of a representation by the shipping minister’s son.
Deora admitted that the DMK minister had met and briefed him about the “great injustice done to the workers and investors” of Kings India Power Corporation Ltd. He added that no gas has been supplied to the companies and the matter is pending before the Delhi high court.
Earlier, the issue of Deora committing breach of privilege cropped up in Rajya Sabha. The issue was raised by Digvijay Singh of JD(U) after the question hour, saying the petroleum minister had committed a Breach of Privilege by speaking to the media and giving Baalu a clean chit. He said Deora was supposed to give a statement before the parliament on the issue on Wednesday. “What will he (Deora) speak before parliament if he has already replied outside it,” Digvijay Singh added. Deputy chairman Rahman Khan said a notice had already been given for ‘breach of privilege’. The chairman would examine it and accordingly take a decision.
s_rajesh@dnaindia.net
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