Tuesday, August 8 2006 17:27 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Staging a dramatic protest outside parliament with black bands strapped across their mouths, opposition MPs Tuesday boycotted proceedings in the Lok Sabha against Speaker Somnath Chatterjee's refusal to take up their privilege motion.

This unusual protest elicits an anguished response from the speaker, who requests the MPs to return to the house and participate in the proceedings.

"It is very unfortunate that this protest is happening. The house cannot function without the opposition and I am asking them to return. There are always ways we can sort out differences," Chatterjee tells the Lok Sabha during question hour.

Even Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priyaranjan Das Munshi beseeches the opposition MPs to call off their protest and says he is pained. He also reposes faith in the speaker's abilities and talent to run the house.

All the Lok Sabha MPs of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by Leader of Opposition L.K. Advani, congregated outside the Gandhi statue in front of Parliament House and held a symbolic protest for an hour before dispersing for the day.

That the opposition leaders were boycotting the Lok Sabha became clear when they refused to attend their daily meeting with the speaker and sign the daily register.

"This is a gag order. All the Lok Sabha MPs will not attend the proceedings today. We are protesting Speaker Somnath Chatterjee's refusal to take up our privilege motion against the prime minister." BJP spokesperson Seshadri Chari, says.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) deputy leader Vijay Kumar Malhotra had Monday given notice of a privilege motion against the Government on the leakage of the R.S. Pathak panel report, which indicts former external affairs minister K. Natwar Singh for misusing his position in securing contracts in Iraq's oil-for-food scam.

Even as MPs in the Lok Sabha boycott proceedings, their colleagues in the Rajya Sabha stages noisy protests and demands the resignation of Finance Minister P. Chidambaram over allegations that he connived with a leading industrialist to artificially jack up prices on the Bombay stock exchange

According to sources in the Rajya Sabha secretariat, former foreign minister Natwar Singh's privilege motion against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will be referred to the Privileges Committee only if the Chairman Bhairon Singh Shekhawat accepts it.

The Congress disciplinary action committee chaired by former Kerala chief minister A.K. Anthony is also expected to meet late Tuesday to deliberate on the fallout of the probe report and how to deal with the former foreign minister.

The report of the Justice R.S. Pathak Inquiry Authority was tabled in parliament Monday along with the Government's action taken report that said the findings will be forwarded to three economic investigative agencies for further action.