by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group
PDP MPs to face Ethics Committee Music
Face action for tearing Constitution in RS
Harish Gupta
New Delhi, Aug 23
The two PDP MPs who made national headlines by tearing a copy of the Constitution inside the Rajya Sabha chamber earlier this month, to face music now.
Instead of taking action against their behaviour in the House in full view himself, Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu has decided to send the case to Ethics Committee of Parliament.
Though the House has the power to expel them instantly through a resolution. But it was decided by the Chairman that their conduct be looked into by the Ethics Committee.
Senior BJP leader Dr Vinay Sahastrabuddhe is the Chairman of the Ethics Committee. Highly placed sources said here today that before going on a foreign visit, the Chairman sent the case to the Ethics Committee.
The two PDP MPs, Nazir Ahmad Laway and Mir Mohd Fayaz, tore the pages of the Constitution and their clothes in the Rajya Sabha when Union Home Minister Amit Shah introduced the two bills relating to J&K on August 5. Nazir Ahmad Laway was told not to do so but he did not listen and kept on tearing pages after pages of the constitution. The other MP Fayaz Ahmad Mir tore his Kurta.
Since the Rajya Sabha adjourned two days later, a disciplinary action couldn't be taken then except for that they were suspended immediately from the house until August 7.
In the meanwhile, the PDP MPs were asked by their party chief Mehbooba Mufti to resign in protest against the Centre move on J&K. The two have been staying put in Delhi too, citing travel restrictions to Srinagar.
However, they have not resigned from Parliament as directed by Mufti as she had been put under house arrest along with several other politicians in the state. Laway and Mir said they had not resigned because they “want to verify” the “veracity of media reports” about Mufti seeking their resignations. One of them also said some other MPs told them that “resignation will not serve any purpose.”
Interestingly, these two MPs did not vote against the Triple Talaq Bill and violated the party whip. But before Mehbooba could act against them, the J&K bills came and utter confusion prevailed.
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