CPI(M) says Mamata Banerjee has breached parliamentary privilege

The CPI(M) has accused railway minister Mamata Banerjee of breaching parliamentary privilege, saying the statement in Rajya Sabha regarding her recent rally at Lalgarh had misled the House as it was based on a "gross misrepresentation of facts".

In a letter to Rajya Sabha chairman Hamid Ansari yesterday, CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury said a statement was made in the House by parliamentary affairs minister PK Bansal asserting that the August 9 rally was organised by 'Forum of Citizens against Violence' and Banerjee had addressed it in her capacity as the Trinamool Congress chief.

Yechury maintained that the permission for the rally was sought, not by the Forum, but by a person, Pranab Basu, president of Paschim Mednipur district Trinamool Congress.

Secondly, the letter had stated that permission was being sought for a "public meeting at Lalgarh High School ground ... by Honourable railway minister, government of India, Smt Mamata Banerjee".

These "two assertions in this statement constitute a gross misrepresentation of facts. This is tantamount to misleading
the House," Yechury said, adding that permission was granted
by the district magistrate on that basis.

"Given these facts, the statement made by the minister in the House is patently false and hence misleading," he said.

Thirdly, the CPI(M) leader said the railway ministry had ordered deployment of Railway Protection Force at the rally venue and media reports in this regard were not contradicted by the ministry.

"Surely, a minister of the Union cabinet, addressing a political meeting in her personal capacity as the leader of a political party, cannot order the deployment of the RPF." 

Seeking Ansari's intervention to "protect the dignity of the Council and the rights of its members", he said "surely, such a gross misrepresentation of facts tantamount to misleading the House (and) should attract the attention of Rule 187 raising a question involving a breach of privilege of the Council and its members".

Yechury maintained that the dignity and sanctity of the Rajya Sabha "cannot be allowed to be so severely breached by statements by the members of the Union Council of ministers which misrepresent facts and mislead the Council".