Parliament of India has reached nadir: Somnath

Speaker Somnath Chatterjee on Tuesday expressed his strong displeasure when the Left members, especially those from the Communist party of India – Marxist, repeatedly interrupted Finance Minister P Chidambaram during his speech on the trust motion in the Lok Sabha.

At one point, he pointed to the main Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party and told the Left members that they should take lessons from them as 'they are not disturbing'.

"Please do not think that I am allowing all this.... You will face the consequences," he remarked.

At another point, Chatterjee chided CPI-M member N N Krishnadas that he should not think that he was glorifying himself or his party by 'this indiscipline'.

When a ruckus broke out during Rahul Gandhi's speech, he said, "Parliament of India is reaching its worst position… nadir. Time has come when Parliament members should face the elections so that the country can give its verdict."

 Ailing Chikmagalur BJP MP not to attend Lok Sabha

D C Srikantappa, Bharatiya Janata Party Member of Parliament from Chikmagalur constituency, will not take part in the trust vote in Lok Sabha today.

Srikantappa, who has been suffering from spinal problem, has been strictly advised by his doctors not to undertake travel, the MP's son Ashok told PTI.

Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, who had a telephonic conversation with Srikantappa, had promised to ferry him to Bangalore by a helicopter and later to Delhi by a special flight to facilitate his presence during the crucial voting in the evening, which decides the fate of the United progressive Alliance government.

Vasudeva Murthy, a physician who is treating Srikantappa, said, "He (Srikantappa) should not be made to sit. If such a risk is taken, it would cause further damage to his spinal chord and nerve system".

Dharwad South MP, Manjunath C Kunnur, reportedly unhappy with Karnataka's BJP leaders, continues to remain in Delhi, according to his family sources.

Reports from Delhi suggested that the sulking MP has remained incommunicado to BJP leaders.

Kunnur, who defected from the Congress to the BJP, might not follow his party's directive to vote against the UPA government, family sources said.

But they declined to specify whether Kunnur would abstain or vote in favour of the motion.

Amar accuses Maya of detaining 6 MPs in Delhi

Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh on Tuesday alleged that six Lok Sabha Members of Parliament from his party were being forcibly kept inside the Uttar Pradesh Bhavan in New Delhi ahead of the crucial trust vote and charged Bahujan Samaj Party chief Minister Mayawati with playing coercive politics.

Talking to newsmen before the second and final day of the special session of the Lok Sabha, Singh said one or two of them might be rebels from his party.

Targeting his arch rival, Singh said Mayawati was resorting to all kind of allurements to wean away his party MPs, who are under constant threat from her government.

Claiming there was no split in his party that has 38 MPs, Singh alleged that rumours of a division in the SP were being spread by Mayawati.

Ailing BJP leader to be flown to Delhi to cast vote

Bharatiya Janata Party Member of Parliament Mahesh Kanodiya from Patan constituency, who was admitted in a private hospital in Mumbai, will be flown to Delhi to allow him to cast his vote in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday evening.

"The decision to fly him to Delhi, was taken after consulting the doctors who did open heart surgery on him," said Naresh, Kanodiya's younger brother.

"Every vote is important for the BJP and my brother will vote against the UPA government," he said.

Suspense over Speaker's resignation continues

In a display of continued defiance, Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee on Tuesday made light of reports that he would be in the post till the completion of the trust vote today evening.

"Did I say month and year," he shot back when reporters asked him about a reported statement of his that he would be in office till July 22.

Asked when he would be resigning from the post, Chatterjee said, " I will not announce it here".

Chatterjee has been under pressure from his party Communist Party of India - Marxist to quit the Speaker's post ever since the Left parties withdrew support to the United Progressive Alliance government.