Monday, December 12 2005 15:03 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Parliament today (Dec 12, 2005) took a serious note of a TV expose on some MPs taking money for purportedly raising questions with Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee asking those allegedly involved not to attend the House till the matter was looked into and Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Bhairon Singh Shekhawat referring it to the Ethics Committee.

The sting operation shown by a TV news channel had its echo in both Houses with Chatterjee making a suo motu statement immediately after the Lok Sabha met for the day.

"Certain very serious events have come to my notice as also of many other Honourable Members. The matter will be looked into with all the importance it deserves. I shall certainly ask the Honourable Members to explain what has happened.

"In the meantime, I am making a personal request to all of them (those allegedly involved) to please do not attend the session until the matter is looked into and a decision is taken," the Speaker said. In Rajya Sabha, Shekhawat said "I have decided to send the entire matter to the Ethics Committee and directed it to urgently look into it and give its recommendations for necessary action."

Observing that he was anguished and perturbed over the incident, he said it had undermined dignity of the House and members would have to think seriously on how to maintain its dignity.

The Speaker asked all members to see that such an event "does not occur in future and if anybody is guilty, he should be punished".

"Nobody will be spared. We shall certainly respond to it in a manner which behoves us", he said.

Chatterjee said he had discussed the matter with leaders of different political parties, including Leader of the Opposition L K Advani, and "all have agreed that the matter is extremely serious if proved to be correct".

Replying to questions by CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta and TDP's K Yerrannaidu, the Speaker said he was referring to all those whose names had figured to refrain from attending the session.

Samajwadi Party's Shailendra Kumar demanded that the members allegedly involved should be disqualified and appropriate action be taken against them.

In the Upper House, Shekhawat said the House must seriously consider how to maintain its dignity and transparency and find ways to prevent such happenings.