Thaindian News

New Delhi, March 15 (IANS) Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar has sought a report from the union home ministry on the alleged house arrest of Samajwadi Party (SP) leaders Mulayam Singh Yadav and his son Akhilesh.

“I have asked the home ministry for a report on the issue,” Meira Kumar told the Lok Sabha after the SP leaders repeatedly sought her intervention in the matter. They said “it was a breach of privilege” as the two were barred from attending parliament on March 9 due to their house arrest in Lucknow.

Akhilesh was also arrested from the Lucknow airport two days later to prevent him from taking part in protests against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati.

The speaker said the complaint of Mulayam Singh and Akhilesh was against the Lucknow district magistrate and deputy inspector general of police.

The SP leaders alleged that the Mayawati government had resorted to “high-handedness” - a view shared by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members.

The BJP’s Lalji Tandon, the MP from Lucknow, also alleged that the state government was behaving in an “autocratic” manner. Tandon alleged that police entered and ransacked his Lucknow residence after he addressed a rally of local body officials in the state.

Meira Kumar asked Tandon to give her in writing the problem he faced from the Uttar Pradesh administration.

Mulayam Singh said his and his son’s written complaints should be referred to the Privileges Committee of the Lok Sabha. To this, the speaker said she would decide after getting the report from the union home ministry.

The SP has been raising the issue since the last week.

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), that rules the state, however, denied the charges. Its member Vijay Bahadur Singh opposed the privilege pleas, alleging the SP leaders were raising a hue and cry unncessarily.