Oppn's 'Magnificent Seven' refuse to apologise

NEW DELHI: Rajya Sabha is yet to revoke the suspension of the seven members who were suspended for unruly behaviour on Tuesday. While the government cited the unavailability of all seven MPs as the cause of the delay, the real reason appears to be the inability to arrive at a compromise formula.

SP leaders Ramgopal Yadav and Brijbhushan Tewari and RJD leader Prem Chand Gupta met with Rajya Sabha chairman Hamid Ansari on Thursday to work out a solution. Though the seven MPs were unwilling to apologise for their unruly behaviour on Monday, efforts are on to work out a compromise formula that would allow for the suspension to be revoked at the same time protect the dignity of the Chairman.

In an effort to convey that the government was not dragging its feet on the matter, parliamentary affairs minister Pawan Kumar Bansal said, “all seven are not available here, otherwise the revocation would have taken place today.”

An option being considered included asking the seven members — four from the SP, one each from RJD and LJP and an unattached member — to express their regret over their conduct on Monday privately to Chairman Hamid Ansari.
The seven MPs — Subhash Yadav (RJD), Sabir Ali (LJP), Veerpal Singh Yadav, Nand Kishore Yadav, Amir Alam Khan and Kamal Akhtar (all SP), and Ejaz Ali (Unattached) — unleashed mayhem in the Rajya Sabha on Monday, tearing copies of the women’s reservation bill, hurling it at the chair, dismantling the public address system and climbing on top of the reporters’ table. The MPs were suspended on Tuesday and had to be physically evicted one by one in a process that involved more than 100 marshals.

Initially the government had said that the suspension would be revoked only if the members apologised. With the suspension issue triggering another show of opposition unity, the government softened its position. Rajya Sabha Opposition leader Arun Jaitley reached out to the SP, RJD and JD(U) by apologising on behalf of the seven MPs. A move that did not go unnoticed by RJD member Rajniti Prasad and SP leader Ram Gopal Yadav, both of whom thanked Mr Jaitley for his gesture.

As if on cue, senior members of the ruling party are even suggesting that there was no insistence on the word apology. Instead suggesting that “there are so many ways to express things”, as long as the MPs say that they respect the Chair and did not intend to show any disregard to him.

Moreover, members of RJD and SP have already expressed regret over the unsavoury behaviour of some of its members. SP chief Mulayam Singh said that a solution would definitely emerge from the meeting between the party leaders in the Rajya Sabha and the Chairman.

Meanwhile, the suspended members remained defiant and refused to apologise for their actions. “There is no question of apologising. We have not violated any norm. On the contrary, the government should seek apology as they have violated the dignity of democracy by calling marshals in the House to suppress a democratic protest,” said unattached member Ejaj Ali.

A similar sentiment was articulated by LJP MP Sabir Ali. “Why should I apologise? I did not show any disrespect to the Chair. I simply tore away the draft paper of the Bill, which was in my hands and it is my democratic right.”

Earlier in the day, the Rajya Sabha was adjourned twice over demands that the suspension be revoked. The Lok Sabha too witnessed vociferous protests against the members being kept out of the Rajya Sabha. After Lok Sabha resumed business in the afternoon, parliamentary affairs minister Pawan Kumar Bansal gave an assurance that the matter was under discussion between the suspended members and the government. “I am hopeful a solution will be arrived,” Mr Bansal said.