No action against Subba: Speaker

BREATHER FOR SUBBA: The Speaker, after seeking legal opinions, doesn't want to take any action against Subba.

J & K | Chhattisgarh | Delhi | MP |
Mizoram | Rajasthan

Featured Blog

Rajdeep Sardesai

26/11: Terror comes precariously close

Featured Slideshows

New Delhi: Lok Sabha speaker Somnath Chatterjee on Tuesday acknowledged the expose done by CNN-IBN on Congress MP from Tezpur, M K Subba.

"A news item telecast on CNN-IBN news channel on March 6 2007showed that M K Subba is not an Indian citizen," he said.

The issue had snowballed into a major crisis with Parliament being adjourned time and again.

Documents in possession of CNN-IBN's Special Investigation Team, proving that Subba had lied about his place of birth and his educational qualifications, were placed before the Speaker by the BJP.

However, the Speaker, after seeking legal opinions, doesn't want to take any action against Subba.

"The allegations against Subba have no nexus with his Parliamentary duties. The house has no jurisdiction to examine this matter," said Chatterjee.

M K Subba had earlier threatened to sue CNN-IBN for defamation.

The Opposition BJP is understandably upset. Their argument is that if Parliament could suspend 11 MPs in the Cash for Query scam, then a similar yardstick should be applied in Subba's case as well.

"We have been demanding that Subba must be dismissed immediately," said BJP MP, V K Malhotra.

Somnath Chatterjee's views stem from Article 103 of the Constitution. The article empowers only the President, along with the Election Commission, to decide on a Parliamentarian's nationality.

The Supreme Court has to give a ruling on Subba's nationality within the next one month. It's then that the final chapter of this battle will be played out.

To read IBNLive stories on mobile, log on to m.ibnlive.com on your mobile browser