Aam Aadmi Party has responded to "false" allegations against Party MP Raghav Chadha on a petition he proposed in the Rajya Sabha. The party says that under parliamentary rules and procedures, signatures or written consent are not required before proposing members' names to a select committee.
"Therefore, there can be no misrepresentation of signatures," the party said in a statement.
Four MPs, Sasmit Patra (Biju Janata Dal), S Phangnon Konyak (BJP), M Thambidurai (AIADMK), and Narhari Amin (BJP), alleged that Raghav Chadha had included their names on the proposed selection committee. without their consent. Chadha has proposed the establishment of a Selection Committee to review the Delhi Utility Bill. The proposal was rejected by Rajya Sabha by a voice vote. The BJP accused the AAP congressman of "false facts" and said his actions qualifies him for criminal prosecution.
Now, in response to the allegations, the Aam Aadmi party said Raghav Chadha had only made a no-no-no-no proposal and that the committees selected were "non-partisan committees consisting of members of all the major parties". The party said "names of all parties" had been made and Chadha's reference was "just a proposal - to be accepted or rejected by the House of Commons".
"In this case, the Chamber declined the referral. Therefore, there is no problem listing the names of the aforementioned complainants," the AAP added. After four MPs complained about their names being included, Rajya Sabha President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Wednesday referred the matter to the Privilege Committee to review and investigate the matter. The AAP said Raghav Chadha has yet to receive a notification from the Privilege Committee and if it does, "it will be responded to effectively and comprehensively".
The party also said that the bulletin the parliament published on did not mention terms like "false/false/signature/signature". The bulletin said that it "appears on the surface" that Raghav Chadha violated Rule 72 of Business Procedure and Conduct in the Council of States (Rajya Sabha) which stipulates that "no member shall be appointed to a committee is selected if he is not available to serve on the Committee. The author should check whether a member he proposes to appoint is willing to serve on the Committee."
The Aam Aadmi Party said it "condemns the BJP's dirty tricks department for initiating a campaign against a young and effective MP to tarnish his reputation as an MP". Raghav Chadha also called the allegations against him "false" and said he would hold a press conference on Thursday, August 10 to "expose the BJP's nefarious plots to tarnish my voice as a congressman."
