Kejriwal Vs MPs' privileges: A battle politicians can't win

Arvind Kejriwal, the most voluble member of Team Anna, appears to have found a new way to rescue his team from irrelevance: courting martyrdom at the hands of “rapists, murderers and looters.” Despite a parliamentary censure over his recent remarks accusing 163 parliamentarians of having criminal records (“In this Parliament, rapists are sitting, murderers and looters are sitting”), Kejriwal has gone on to defend his statement, thus putting himself in line for a successful parliamentary privilege motion against him. One hopes that our parliamentarians have enough sense in them to realise that he is deliberately provoking them in the hope that they will do something silly. The privilege notice that is being served on him – courtesy Rajya Sabha members Ramkripal Yadav and Rajneeti Prasad (both RJD) and Lok Sabha MP Sajjan Kumar Verma (Congress) – will benefit no one but Kejriwal. Another one, from Jagdambika Pal, a Congress MP, is also making its way to Kejriwal. Rajneeti is the same guy who tore up a copy of the Lokpal Bill last December during the Lokpal debate – and was not pulled up by parliament for this “insult”, as Kejriwal was quick to point out. In this bout, Kejriwal is two steps ahead of his rivals. Their best hope is to keep the debate verbal – and nothing more – for they are on a losing wicket. The problem is no member of the public knows what parliamentary privilege is all about. Hence it couldn’t care two hoots about it. Thus, while MPs have the power to use privilege motions against people outside Parliament, they do so at the risk of alienating public opinion by targeting those who don’t have this privilege. MPs are covered by parliamentary privilege not to threaten those outside parliament, but to ensure that they can speak freely on issues without fear or favour. This is why even libellous statements made by them inside parliament cannot be used in a court of law. Only parliament can deal with their libel. [caption id=“attachment_263383” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Kejriwal is two steps ahead of his rivals. Their best hope is to keep the debate verbal – and nothing more – for they are on a losing wicket. PTI”]  [/caption] By provoking MPs to move against him, Kejriwal is hoping to show the public that parliament is trying to muzzle “defenceless” people like him instead of doing its duty – like getting an effective Lokpal Bill passed. The privileges committee may or may not find anything against him, but Kejriwal, for one, is relishing the opportunity to emerge centre-stage by forcing parliament to make him a martyr. To make sure that the matter does not end with the privileges committee, Kejriwal also demanded that FIRs be lodged against 14 cabinet ministers for various crimes. He has received only one answer to his challenge – the threat of a criminal defamation suit from Virbhadra Singh, Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, who said with much bravado, “If good sense prevails on him (Kejriwal), he should tender an unconditional apology…. I am waiting for his reply to my letter…”. But Kejriwal has already said there was no question of an apology and is in no hurry to pipe down. He told PTI: “I will respond in a week’s time. I have not said anything wrong. There is no question of apology.” Earlier, when MPs threatened a privilege motion, Kejriwal said : “If I am guilty in the eyes of your law, punish me according to those laws. I am ready to face that punishment. If you are going to punish according to your laws, my appeal to you is that, give me an opportunity to appear before you personally and present my version.” Here you have it so many words: “Please make me a martyr”. Kejriwal wants Parliament to give him an opportunity to become the victim of vengeful MPs. Given the low opinion the public has of politicians, Kejriwal cannot lose this battle for public opinion no matter what ministers and MPs do. The only way the establishment can defeat him is by ignoring him and Team Anna – and focusing on producing a Lokpal Bill, even a diluted one.