'The Speaker should have asked Ramesh Bidhuri to withdraw his words and apologise.'
Former Lok Sabha secretary general P D T Achary tells Prasanna D Zore/Rediff.com that he does not expect any action to be taken against Ramesh Bidhuri, the Bharatiya Janata Party MP from South Delhi, who hurled sordid abuse against Kunvar Danish Ali, the Bahujan Samaj Party MP from Amroha, Uttar Pradesh, in the Lok Sabha last week.
Has the language used by Ramesh Bidhuri against Kunvar Danish Ali ever been heard in the Lok Sabha?
No, I haven't heard such language (before). Perhaps this is the first time in the history of the Lok Sabha such words have been used by a member against another.
According to the rules of procedure what action could be taken against the BJP MP by the Speaker? Or what action could the aggrieved party seek from the Speaker?
He (Ali) has given a notice of privilege for abusing a member of the House inside the House or in connection with his Parliamentary work.
It (the use of expletives against Ali by Bidhuri) is a breach of privilege. It's a serious matter. He has given a notice of privilege and then he has requested the Speaker to refer it to the Privileges Committee.
Otherwise, when this man (Bidhuri) was speaking like this, he could have been stopped and he should have been asked by the Chair to withdraw his words and apologise.
Obviously, the person who was in the Chair (Congress MP Kodikunnil Suresh from Kerala) could not have understood the meaning of the crude abusive words used by the BJP member (Ramesh Bidhuri).
Otherwise, he could have been asked to withdraw his words and apologise to the House.
Is Speaker Om Birla wrong in just warning Bidhuri and not suspending him like it has happened with many Opposition MPs for lesser breach of privilege?
Actually, now the Speaker has to take a decision on that. He will have to send it to the Privileges Committee and then the Privileges Committee will table its report about what action can be taken against the BJP MP.
The Privileges Committee will have to decide if he (Bidhuri) can be suspended for a certain period.
Can Bidhuri be suspended for the rest of his term?
No, that won't be happening. They (the BJP) won't do that. They won't do that.
It is very surprising that when the BJP MP (Ramesh Bidhuri) was using those words two former ministers (Ravi Shankar Prasad and Harsh Vardhan) who were sitting by his side were laughing.
But the BJP MP Dr Harsh Vardhan has stated on social media that he did not hear anything because of the commotion in the Lok Sabha.
I don't want to make any comments on that.
What exactly is a Speaker's role in such instances of abuse when such words are used in a speech?
The Speaker should have asked him (Bidhuri) to withdraw his words and apologise.
What can the Opposition do if the Speaker does not do anything?
Nothing can be done. Nothing can be done. At the most, the Opposition can move a no-confidence motion against the Speaker. There is no point in moving a no-confidence motion against the Speaker.
