New Delhi: India's ambassador to the US Ronen Sen, who made the controversial "headless chickens" remarks to describe those opposing the Indo-US nuclear deal, has been summoned before the Privileges Committee of the Lok Sabha on October 29 and of the Rajya Sabha on November 2. A decision to summon him before the Privileges Committee of the Rajya Sabha was taken recently at a meeting presided over by Deputy Chairman of Upper House K Rahman Khan. Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee had referred the issue to the Committee sometime ago after receipt of a reply by the External Affairs Ministry to which Sen had expressed unqualified apology for the remarks.

The Ministry had pleaded that in view of the unqualified apology tendered by him, the matter be closed. In view of the strong feelings of the MPs on the issue, the Speaker and also the Rajya Sabha Chairman had referred it to the Privileges Committees. The Lok Sabha Committee is headed by Congress MP V Kishorechandra Deo.

At the height of the controversy over the opposition to the nuclear deal from Left and opposition parties, Sen had used the word "headless chickens" to describe those commenting against the deal.

Both the Houses had witnessed uproarious scenes for a couple of days amid demands that Sen be summoned to the bar of the House. However, when the MPs raised the issue in Parliament attacking him, he had said that he had used the remarks to refer to journalists and not MPs but still he had offered unconditional apology to them if it had hurt their feelings.

A move to decide the issue jointly by the two Privileges Committee was deliberated upon, but was not pursued for want of proper conventions and rules. (PTI)