E-Paper
Woman trouble for Somnath
Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee on Wednesday faced some woman trouble as he was accused of 'ignoring' women MPs.
Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee on Wednesday faced some woman trouble as he was accused of 'ignoring' women MPs.
During question hour, women MPs accused the Speaker of neglecting them, but he was cut to the quick at the very suggestion.
"Speaker sir, you are not allowing female members to speak," said actress-turned-MP Jaya Prada, smiling good-naturedly even after her repeated attempts failed to draw his attention and be allowed a turn.
Chatterjee assured: "I will let you speak in the next question."
Then it was first time MP Neeta Pateriya's turn to ask a question. When the government's responses appeared unsatisfactory, Pateriya's neighbour and former minister Sumitra Mahajan told the Speaker: "She is a first time MP and a woman, please encourage her by giving her question due importance."
"Don't instigate her," the Speaker snapped at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP.
Finally it became one too much for Chatterjee when another BJP MP, Karuna Shukla, began her query with this appeal to him: "We are first time MPs and women. We hope to draw your attention..."
Chatterjee asked, and he was not smiling when he did so: "Do you believe that I don't? Why are you making allegations? I give everybody a chance."
Shukla mumbled a "thank you", but it failed to soothe the Speaker who is a veteran parliamentarian. "You don't need to thank me!" he shot back.
Notably, the next question was such that a woman put it forth and many women MPs asked supplementary queries on it.
