CPI-M, BJP move privilege motion against Ronen Sen

The Communist Party of India-Marxist and the Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday moved privilege motions in both Houses of Parliament against Indian Ambassador to the US Ronen Sen for his reported "unwarranted" and "derogatory" comments on Parliamentarians.

The privilege notice came after Left MPs along with opposition Bharatiya Janata Party members stalled proceedings in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha demanding Sen's removal for his comments "casting grave aspersions against Parliamentarians."

The notice by CPI-M was given in Lok Sabha by Basudeb Acharia, Varkala Radhakrishnan, P Karunakaran and Rupchand Pal. Prasanta Chatterjee, Moinul Hassan, Matilal Sarkar, Tapan Sen, P Madhu and T K Ray in gave the notice in Rajya Sabha.

Reacting to Sen's remarks, CPI-M general secretary Prakash Karat in Hyderabad said that he be recalled "if the government has any self-respect."

Taking strong exception to Sen's reported remarks, the BJP also gave notices of privilege against the diplomat in Parliament, demanding that he not only be recalled, but also summoned before the bar of the House and "admonished."

While Leader of the Opposition Lal Kishenchand Advani had given the notice for privilege motion in the Lok Sabha, former external affairs minister Yashwant Sinha, who has been named in Sen's statement, did so in the Rajya Sabha, BJP leaders V K Malhotra and Sushma Swaraj informed newspersons.

Earlier, the issue rocked both Houses of Parliament with the opposition seeking suspension of the Question Hour to debate the matter, which they described as highly objectionable and serious.

Malhotra said the opposition was not at all satisfied with the clarification given by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee who read out a statement sent to the government by Sen. "In fact, the defence given by the ambassador was more objectionable and atrocious and he cannot get away by saying that he spoke off the record, trying to put the blame on the media," he said.

Swaraj said Sen's plea could not be accepted as "he meant what he said." By saying that he was referring to the media in his conversation, "Sen attempted to open up another front." He had not implicated the critics alone, but also those publishing it, she said.

She said the ambassador had attacked both the Left parties and the BJP by stating that he was aghast by the Left's opposition and the BJP's torpedoing the nuclear deal.

"It displays the contempt he has for the opponents of the deal," she said.

Additional Reportage: UNI