New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Member of Parliament from Punjab Bhagwant Maan met Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Friday to reportedly give an explanation for Thursday’s Facebook video live streaming of parliament.
Mann invited trouble for himself on Thursday over the incident, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies deciding to ask for a privilege motion against him, for “endangering security” of the heavily-guarded complex.
An adamant and defiant Mann had said on Thursday that he would repeat the live streaming on Friday, and added that he had done nothing wrong.
He also said that he would apologise to the Lok Sabha Speaker if he was told that he had committed a mistake.
The AAP lawmaker from Punjab, a popular stand-up comedian, has been accused of compromising the security of Parliament by streaming a video of various layers of screening and checks.
Maan has maintained that it was not his intention to endanger the security of Parliament or its members, and claimed that he only wanted to show people in his constituency in Punjab a glimpse of Parliament and its functioning.
“My people accuse me of not raising their issues in the house. When I told them that questions to be taken up are decided by a draw of lots and only 20 MPs can get their questions in, they did not believe me,” he said, explaining that he wanted to show people how questions are sorted in the Central Hall.
Earlier reports had suggested that Speaker Sumita Mahajan had taken note of Maan’s video and would call him. She is also likely to seek a detailed report from Parliament’s security.
“One should not play with the security of Parliament. Making such videos viral is not the right thing to do,” Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi had said on Thursday.
In the video, Mann gives a running commentary as his vehicle crosses security barricades, while entering Parliament. “I’ll today show you something you would not have seen earlier,” he says.
He enters a room where questions are being sorted and describes the process. A security official is heard telling him not to take photographs, but he replies: “I’ll not take photo… will maintain confidentiality.” (ANI)