Point of privilege

Alleged intimidation of members of Parliament by Ministers/members in Congress Parliamentary Party Executive meeting

Facts of the case and ruling by the Chairman

On the 21st December, 1967, Shri Bhupesh Gupta, a member, drew¹ the attention of the House to a report in the newspapers of the same day indicating that two Congress members of Parliament, Shri M. P. Bhargava and Kumari Shanta Vasistha, were taken to task and intimidated. for their speeches attacking the Government in the House, by the Prime Minister (Shrimati Indira Gandhi), Deputy prime Minister (Shri Morarji Desai), Minister of Commerce (Shri Dinesh Singh) and another member (Shrimati Tarkeshwari Sinha).

This, he felt, amounted to interference with the normal parliamentary functions of the members and, therefore, constituted a breach of privilege.

2. The Chairman (Shri V. V. Giri), disallowing the question of privilege, observed² as follows:

".....I do not think that normal happenings in a Party meeting can be made the subject-matter of a question of breach of privilege. In any case, I am satisfied that there is no breach of privilege involved in this."
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

1. R. S. debt. dt. 21-12-1967.

2. Ibid