Date:02/07/2004 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2004/07/02/stories/2004070206031100.htm

National

Speaker tries to end impasse

By Javed M. Ansari

NEW DELHI, JULY 1. Ahead of the leaders' meeting on Sunday, the Lok Sabha Speaker, Somnath Chatterjee, will meet leaders of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on Friday to explore the possibility of ending the impasse in Parliament over the "tainted" Ministers issue. This will be followed by a meeting with the leaders of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) on Saturday. Mr. Chatterjee was hopeful of finding a solution that will allow the House to function in an orderly manner during the Budget session.

timately, it is for the members to decide on how the House should function, it is their House. There are leaders with loads of experience on both the sides and I am sure that all of us will together be able to find a way out," said Mr. Chatterjee. He said that he had spoken to the Leader of the Opposition, L.K. Advani, who had agreed to attend tomorrow's meeting.

The NDA leaders are meeting on July 5 to finalise their floor strategy. Today, Mr. Advani, the NDA convener, George Fernandes, and the Bharatiya Janata Party president, Venkaiah Naidu, met informally. The view that has emerged is that the NDA should `boycott' the Railway Budget to be presented on July 6 by the Minister, Laloo Prasad Yadav, but a final decision has yet to be taken, the deputy leader of the BJP in the Lok Sabha, V.K. Malhotra, said.

In his days as a front-ranking leader in the Opposition benches, Mr. Chatterjee had been in the thick of action and is, therefore, not unduly pessimistic about the resolution of the impasse. " It is not something unique ... such things have happened before. We have always been able to find a way out," he said.

The Speaker, however, appeared to be disappointed by the increasing tendency among the MPs to resort to high-decibel protests leading to the disruption of the proceedings.

" Unfortunately all of us have come to believe that the most potent form of protest is to stall the proceedings of Parliament," said Mr. Chatterjee.

To introduce greater transparency in the functioning of the Lok Sabha, the Speaker has instructed his office to explore the possibility of telecasting live the proceedings of the zero hour in Parliament. Mr. Chatterjee said the move was not aimed at disciplining the members, nor did he think that it would expose Parliament and its members to contempt. " I don't believe that it can be a method for disciplining the members. All that I am doing is conceding to the people their right to know what is happening in Parliament. If people can be present in the visitors' gallery during zero hour, if the press is allowed to remain there to report, there is no reason why the public should be deprived of viewing the proceedings on television." According to Mr. Chatterjee, the practice is in vogue in several parliamentary democracies and it is time to implement the idea here.

" Several members raise very important issues concerning their constituencies. Why should the people be deprived of viewing their MPs and see for themselves how they perform," he asked. Mr. Chatterjee has constituted the Business Advisory Committee for the Lok Sabha, which is expected to meet on July 6.