NEW DELHI: A revolutionary move is afoot to open the deliberations of standing committees of Parliament to the media with a view to ensure greater transparency and accountability.
Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, who took the initiative, said on Tuesday that he had discussed the matter with Leader of Opposition L K Advani, who has endorsed the proposal.
As the winter session came to an end, after adjourning the House sine die, Chatterjee said he would take up the matter with Rajya Sabha chairperson Bhairon Singh Shekawat and hoped that the panel meetings could be thrown open to the media from the next session.
There is, however, no consensus on whether or not to allow the media to sit through the meetings when evidences are recorded. Leaders of some political parties expressed reservations on this count saying that bureaucrats may not be forthcoming with evidences against colleagues and others in the presence of the media.
The committees often summon officials of various ministries to cross-examine them on subject matter, whether it is defence spending or fund allocation for tribal ministry.
Sources said Chatterjee has been trying to open the panels since last two years but certain political leaders, who are known to be close to corporate Houses and film personalities and often try to influence the committee in their favour, were unwilling to accept the suggestion.
Last week, former Speaker P A Sangma and noted journalists N Ram, editor-in-chief of The Hindu, and H K Dua, editor-in-chief of The Tribune, also made an appeal in the course of their speech at a seminar “Legislature and Media: Reflections, Role and Relationship” to the Speaker to open the standing committees to the press.
