New Delhi: Raising the issue of alleged misbehaviour with a woman journalist of a private news channel, BJP’s Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament Bhupendra Yadav on Wednesday urged Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu to refer the matter to the ethics committee of the House if any member was suppressing voice of the media.

Without naming the news channel or any person, the BJP MP raised the issue through a ‘point of order’ during the Zero Hour and said, “We do not want to interfere in any private organisation, but if a woman is misbehaved with, and employees are not paid, it is responsibility of the parliamentarians to protect the freedom of speech”.  He further said the Chairman has the power to send the matter to the ethics committee “if any member was suppressing the voice of the media”. Mr Yadav said the matter should be referred to the ethics committee to protect rights of mediapersons.  Earlier, Mr Yadav’s party colleague also sought to raise the issue, but Congress members objected saying there is “conflict of interest”.

Mr Naidu too asked the BJP MP to confine himself to the topic for which he had given the Zero Hour notice.