All-party meet on SC ‘stay’ inconclusive

An all-party meeting, convened by state assembly speaker Mata Prasad Pandey on the apex court staying the house summons to the management and journalists of a new channel, failed to reach a conclusion on Sunday.

Pradeep Dubey, the principal secretary (Vidhan Sabha) confirmed that the all-party meet would again take place on Tuesday.

After gathering the views of all the parties, the speaker is likely to convey the assembly stand on the situation arising out of the apex court decision to stay the Vidhan Sabha’s summons to the news channel.

The BJP and the Congress took up varying positions during the Sunday’s all-party meeting.

UP BJP legislature party leader Suresh Khanna said that the house was sovereign.

“We made our position quite clear. It should have the full right to initiate proceedings without any interference from any quarter. However, as far as the issue of the Supreme Court staying the Vidhan Sabha summons is concerned, we suggested taking a legal opinion on the issue before taking any decision,” Khanna said.

Congress legislature party leader Pradeep Mathur said, “We are quite clear that the apex court should not have interfered in the assembly proceedings. The all-party meet would happen again on Tuesday now.”

Leader of opposition Swami Prasad Maurya has also communicated his party’s view. Maurya had earlier said inside the house that the SC move was tantamount to interference and was a contempt of the house. Members had urged the speaker to seek legal opinion and send a letter to the apex court against any interference in the proceedings when the house was in session.

Barring the BJP, all the major political parties have thus indicated their preference on the issue.

BARRING THE BJP, ALL THE MAJOR POLITICAL PARTIES HAVE THUS INDICATED THEIR PREFERENCE ON THE ISSUE