New Delhi, May 09: Timely intervention by senior members in Lok Sabha today averted a scuffle between RJD and Samata Party members as the latter were vociferously pressing for referring their notices of breach of privilege against Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Shivraj Patil to the privileges committee. Agitated members from both sides stormed the well menacingly but senior members including former prime minister Chandr Shekhar immediately intervened and persuaded them to go back to their seats.

As soon as the house assembled this morning, BJP chief whip Vijay Kumar Malhotra wanted to know from speaker Manohar Joshi the fate of the notice of breach of privilege given by him against Gandhi and Patil. He said action initiated against four Congress members for defying party's decision to boycott defence minister George Fernandes yesterday clearly amounted to breach of privilege of the members as they had every right to participate in the house proceedings.

Bureau Report