NEW DELHI, MAY 6: Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee had few options on the issue of the “disorderly conduct” of MPs after the NDA said it was not going to buy the UPA assurance that the matter would be given a quiet burial at the very first meeting of the Privileges Committee. Chatterjee had referred the cases of 32 MPs, including those of BSP and SP, to the committee.

BJP sources confirmed to The Indian Express that Leader of Opposition L K Advani made it clear to Pranab Mukherjee, Leader of the House, that the only option before the UPA government was to get the Speaker to withdraw the reference to the Privileges Committee.

Sticking to his stand, Advani is learnt to have said no to Mukherjee’s assurance that the matter would be sorted out in the very first meeting of the Privileges Committee since the UPA had the majority. In fact, Advani asked senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj to forge a common front on the issue by speaking to leaders of both the SP and BSP in Parliament. Sensing that the Speaker was being cornered on the issue, the treasury benches came up with the solution that gave Chatterjee an opportunity to withdraw the reference on Monday.

Sources said that barring CPI MP Gurudas Dasgupta who defended the Speaker’s action, leaders of all parties in Lok Sabha urged the Speaker to withdraw the reference. This included RJD leader Laloo Prasad Yadav. None of the “ indicted” MPs apologised before the Speaker for his or her conduct.

Chatterjee got the message in the morning itself when the BJP MPs resorted to “Gandhigiri” in the House by placing fingers on their lips as a sign of protest. This saw the Speaker adjourning the House which was convened after the matter was sorted out.