PM should know House rules: Gadkari

Soon after Congress leader Digvijaya Singh flayed BJP national president Nitin Gadkari for questioning the Prime Minister’s knowledge of Parliamentary procedure in an interview to this newspaper, Gadkari told the Hindustan Times that he had only expressed the view that as the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh should be aware of Parliamentary procedure.

Soon after Congress leader Digvijaya Singh flayed BJP national president Nitin Gadkari for questioning the Prime Minister’s knowledge of Parliamentary procedure in an interview to this newspaper, Gadkari told the Hindustan Times that he had only expressed the view that as the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh should be aware of Parliamentary procedure.

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He, however, reiterated his earlier stand that leave alone the PM, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) can not even summon a Cabinet minister without the the Speaker’s nod.

“Woh Pradhan Mantri hain, unhe Parliamentary procedure pata hona hee chaiye (He is the PM; he should know the Parliamentary procedure),” Gadkari told HT over telephone from Nagpur. “Maine kaha tha ki PM to kya bina Speaker kee sweekriti ke PAC kisi Cabinet minister ko nahin bula sakti. (I had said that leave alone the PM, the PAC cannot call any Cabinet minister without the Speaker’s approval).”

In this, he reiterated the party’s position a day after PAC chairman and senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi — who has issued a statement backing the demand for a JPC — met the Speaker and later said that he would consult legal experts on the PM’s offer to appear before the PAC.

Digvijaya Singh had praised Joshi’s Parliamentary knowledge while criticising Gadkari.