NDA to end boycott of parliamentary panels

The National Democratic Alliance on Tuesday evening agreed to end the boycott of parliamentary committees.

Leader of the Opposition Lal Kishenchand Advani said after a meeting of the NDA constituents that the agreement was arrived at meetings he had with Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee and later Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Leader of the Lok Sabha Pranab Mukherjee was present during the meeting with the PM, he added.

The BJP had taken strong exception to Mukherjee condemning the behaviour of some opposition MPs obstructing the Speaker from making observations. "It is an unprecedented incident in the House that the Speaker, who is the custodian, is not allowed to make a statement," he had said.

Mukherjee had ruled out withdrawing his statement hoping "better sense" would prevail and the Opposition would join the committees.

The modalities of the "withdrawal" of the statement made by Mukherjee will be gone through when the Lok Sabha's budget session resumes on August 16, Advani said.

He said Malhotra and another party leader, Sushma Swaraj, would discuss the formalities with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on Wednesday.

Advani, who was invited by the PM to discuss the situation in Manipur, said the parliamentary committees' issue figured since Home Minister Shivraj Patil and Mukherjee were also present.

"By and large it was agreed to withdraw the statements with the permission of the House. Our side also agreed that the statement referring to the Speaker… could also be withdrawn.

"It was pointed out that it could only be done with the permission of the House. But when an agreement has been arrived at this level, then the formalities can be completed later," Advani said.