The Speaker is anguished, a source close to him said, because despite an assurance that the issue of price rise would be discussed, members still felt it necessary to shout slogans in the well of the House.
"For a debate on rural development, three Opposition members were sitting in the Opposition benches. Voting on the Finance Bill had to be postponed because there was no quorum. All of us have to recognise our responsibility," said a source in the Speaker's office.
But the BJP believes it has been targeted and singled out and is ready to make this an issue. "We have a lot of options, including soft and hard, and all will be considered," a senior BJP leader said ahead of an NDA meeting tomorrow to decide the future strategy of the Opposition alliance.
As of now, the NDA is not revealing its cards on the future course of action as Parliament meets tomorrow after a four-day break, and the Lok Sabha has its first sitting after the Speaker's action.
"The NDA leaders are meeting tomorrow. We will discuss the strategy to be adopted," this was the refrain of another senior leader and Rajya Sabha member Sushma Swaraj when asked about the plans of the alliance.
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NDA's decision to hold the meeting soon after the Speaker cracked the whip against the MPs was a pointer that the shadow of the action is expected to fall on the proceedings of the Lok Sabha tomorrow.
Besides upsetting the BJP and its allies like the Shiv Sena, the Speaker's action has also drawn flak from the Samajwadi Party which said the Chair was "neither a monarch, nor the members his subjects".
The Shiv Sena, a key constituent of the NDA, whose two members have also been proceeded against, said there was no question of being apologetic about raising a "burning" issue affecting the people.