Pursuing Sadhvi Prachi's remarks as breach of privilege serves no purpose: Par panel

The Privileges Committee of Rajya Sabha Tuesday said the matter related to Hindutva leader Sadhvi Prachi's "terrorists in Parliament" remarks be allowed to rest, as pursuing it as 'breach of privilege' will not serve any purpose.

In 2015, Prachi triggered a controversy by alleging there were one or two terrorists in Parliament. She was apparently referring to MPs who were against hanging of 1993 Mumbai blasts convict Yakub Memon.

Following her remarks, many parliamentarians from the Upper House, cutting across party lines, sought breach of privilege proceedings against the Hindutva leader. They gave a notice in this regard to then Rajya Sabha chairman Hamid Ansari, saying her remarks "violated the dignity" of Parliament.

The Rajya Sabha committee noted that Prachi's remarks were "unfair and had contemptuous undertone" apart from being a personal attack on Members of Parliament, even though she did not name any member.

"The Committee felt that pursuing this matter of unwarranted remarks uttered by Sadhvi Prachi, as a breach of privilege, would serve no useful purpose," the Rajya Sabha secretariat said in a statement.

The panel also "recommended that the matter may be allowed to rest".

However, the panel observed that such irresponsible remarks lead to erosion of values attached to these institutions and strongly condemned the remarks of Sadhvi Prachi.