Parliament video: AAP MP Mann cites TV channel coverage to defend himself

New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) lawmaker Bhagwant Mann has told an inquiry committee of MPs that he didn't violate security protocol by live-streaming a video of Parliament.

According to NDTV, Mann, who had been given a deadline of Thursday afternoon to respond to the committee formed to probe the video, said, "Many TV channels report from the parliament complex and if there is no violation by them, why have I been singled out?"

A committee of nine MPs reviewed the 12-minute film posted by Mann on Facebook, which showed his ride through layers of security to reach the parliament building.

While BJP's Kirit Somaiya heads the panel, it has two other BJP members -- Meenakshi Lekhi and Satyapal Singh. Others are Anandrao Adsul (Shiv Sena), B Mahtab (BJD), Ratna De (TMC), Thota Narasimham (TDP), K C Venugopal (Cong) and P Venugopal (AIADMK).

Virtually every party accused the AAP MP of compromising security with his video last week. Some had referenced the 2001 Parliament attack in order to attack Mann.

Subsequently, a probe panel was formed at the behest of Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan and Mann was asked to stay away from parliament while the probe panel decided on action against him. He was then suspended from the Lok Sabha.

Mann, in his defence, had also suggested that Prime Minister Narendra Modi compromised security by allowing Pakistani officers including members of its spy agency ISI to tour the Pathankot Air Force base.

The Trinamool Congress was the only party which seemed sympathetic to Mann. Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee has reportedly asked the party's Ratna De to express that "Mann's intention was not dubious but a little amateurish."

AAP said that Mann is being targeted because of the party's surging popularity in Punjab ahead of its election.

But Delhi CM and AAP chief refused to answer a question on Mann. When a reporter asked for his comment, he evaded the question.