Bhupender Yadav said the matter should be referred to the ethics committee

A BJP parliamentarian on Wednesday raised in the Rajya Sabha the issue of alleged misbehaviour with a woman journalist of a private news channel and asked Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu to refer the matter to the ethics committee of the House, if any member was suppressing the voice of the media.

BJP parliamentarian Bhupender Yadav, raising the issue through a "point of order" during zero hour, 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 parliamentarians to protect the freedom of speech".

He said the Chairman has the power to send the matter to the ethics committee "if any member was suppressing the voice of the media".

The matter should be referred to the ethics committee to protect rights of journalists, said Mr Yadav.

Earlier, another BJP parliamentarian, Rajeev Chandrashekhar, also sought to raise the issue, but Congress members objected saying there is "conflict of interest".

The Chairman then asked Mr Chandrasekhar to confine himself to the topic for which he had given the zero hour notice.