NDA accuses Somnath of partiality, boycotts House

In an unprecedented move, the NDA today boycotted the Lok Sabha alleging a partisan attitude on the part of Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, who appeared to be upset enough with the allegation to contemplate quitting the post.

"The Speaker completely ignored the protesting members of the NDA yesterday, and continued to run the House as though we did not matter. Even if the Banking Securities Bill was passed, there was no need to table a reply to the notice on the Mukherjee Commission report on Netaji's death," said V K Malhotra, deputy leader of the BJP in the Lok Sabha.

"Only two speakers had had their say and twenty more were to follow, the House belongs to all of us," he said.

Former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee shot off an angry letter to the Speaker telling him that the respect of the members should be "commanded not demanded". The Speaker had earlier in a letter to the former prime minister appealed to Vajpayee to bring his colleagues back into the House.

In his letter, Vajpayee questioned Chatterjee's ability to "inspire as much confidence in the Opposition as he is able to do in the ruling parties. A stark reality is that this situation is totally absent in our House".

The letter from Vajpayee came as a bolt from the blue for the Speaker who had a rather cordial phone conversation with the former prime minister in the morning.

"When Vajpayeeji read out the Speaker's letter to the BJP parliamentary party, the MPs insisted that a strong reply be given, aquainting him with the feelings of the NDA MPs," said Malhotra.

Meanwhile, UPA leaders openly came out in Chatterjee's support. The NDA and the UPA appeared to be ranged against each with the UPA MPs calling the boycott an insult to the House.

Devender Prasad Yadav of th RJD called it an insult to the House while Basudeb Acharia of the CPM said it seemed that the BJP and its allies were unwilling to face defeat even after being out of power for two years.

The Speaker received some solace from his Left colleagues who he met later in the day. CPI's Gurudas Dasgupta said "so upset" was the Speaker that he had offered to resign.

The boycott was a day-long one with the NDA set to return tomorrow.