Bedlam in Parliament Over Privilege Motion

Legal News India: Opposition Leader Sushma Swaraj, today, moved a privilege motion against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh alleging that his response on the cash-for-votes controversy was not an honest one. Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar commented on it, “I have just received the notice of the leader of Opposition. The notice is under my consideration. I will give my ruling on the matter.”

There was chaos after Kumar’s announcement. Both parties debated over whether to discuss the Finance Bill demanded by the government or the PM’s statement on cash-for-votes expose by Wikileaks. While Congress accused the BJP for attempting to mislead the country, the Opposition alleged that the PM was trying to mislead the house. The Lok Sabha was adjourned till 12:30pm.

The Wikileaks cables alleged that, for the US-Nuclear Deal, a lot of money was given out to save the government after the Left party withdrew support.

What is Privilege Motion?: A motion in the parliamentary procedure which is given precedence over other matters of business since it concerns issues of great importance. A privilege motion is not debatable. However, the chair may endeavor to elicit relevant information from MPs.