Somnath withdraws angry remarks

Agencies

New Delhi: Lok Sabha speaker Somnath Chatterjee here on Friday withdrew angry remarks made in frustration against some MPs for disrupting House proceedings yesterday.

A regretful Chatterjee said he had made these remarks in "little frustration".

The 79-year-old Chatterjee, who frequently vents his anger on unruly behaviour of members in the House, was today soft on the members as he extended good wishes to them, reversing yesterday's wish that they do not get re-elected.

"Yesterday, I made some comments out of little frustration. I want all of you, who were standing here, to come back if people support you," he said in the House today, addressing the members whom he had rebuked.

As soon as the House met today, RJD's Ram Kripal Yadav politely told the Speaker that he had cursed the members yesterday that they should not get re-elected and that he should withdraw it by pardoning them.

Several other members joined Yadav in making the plea. Chatterjee, while pointing out that he had made the comments against those members who were protesting, said he was ready to pardon them if they behaved well. The Speaker was very annoyed yesterday when members of the BSP, BJP, TDP, RPI, PMK and MDMK stormed the Well of the House, raising slogans against the government on several issues.

"I am at ease because I am not contesting. I know you are aggrieved but I have my good wishes for everyone," the Speaker told the members today.

He, however, told the members that since they had been sent by people to represent them for five years in Parliament, they would not like to tolerate such behaviour of theirs.

When TDP's Yerran Naidu wanted to raise some matter, Chatterjee told him to be patient and tolerate him for an hour like people had been tolerating the MPs for five years.

At the same time, he wondered how people tolerate MPs who do not behave. "Sometimes I get exasperated and say something ... I have withdrawn (my words) today and wished them best of luck," Chatterjee later told reporters outside Parliament.