JOIN USWriting on Monday to the Rajya Sabha secretariat, which issued notices to him and fellow Team Anna members for using derogatory remarks against MPs, Kejriwal also asked that the specific words which were found offensive be highlighted.
He made it clear that he would not file his response unless he received the tapes and transcripts. “It is alleged in this letter/notice that I have used “derogatory words”, which were allegedly “telecast by the Star News Channel.
“I have carefully gone through the letter/notice and all annexure thereto. However, the words alleged to have been said by me and found to be “derogatory” by the Hon’ble Members of Parliament have not been intimated to me in the said letter/notice,” Kejriwal said. “I would urge you to kindly provide me copies of the tapes of my speech along with the transcripts and indicate the words used by me in those speeches, which offended Hon’ble Members of Parliament,” Kejriwal wrote.
The House had issued notices to Kiran Bedi, Prashant Bhushan and Arvind Kejriwal for using derogatory words against MPs.
Letter received
The former IRS officer-turned-RTI campaigner received the letter on Saturday. All the activists have been asked to provide their responses by Sep 14.
However, Team Anna members have been maintaining that speaking in public interest would not amount to breach of privileges of the MPs.
“If speaking truth in public interest amounts to breach of privilege, then time has come for the country to review the whole notion of Parliamentary privileges,” Prashant Bhushan had said in a statement.