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Now, a privilege motion against Chappell in Parliament?

November 27, 2006 12:22 IST

Members of Parliament, cutting across party lines, on Monday criticised cricket coach Greg Chappell after the loss of yesterday's cricket match against South Africa.

One MP even threatened a privilege motion against the coach.

'If Members of Parliament are willing, a privilege motion can be moved against Chappell,' Minister for Women and Child Development Renuka Choudhary told a news channel.

Chappell had said in Cape Town, South Africa, that he was not surprised by the sharp criticism from the MPs following India's poor show in the one-dayers so far.

He said the MPs were doing their job. "I am not surprised. They are paid to do so in Parliament," Chappell said in the post-match press conference after India's 106-run defeat in the third ODI.

CPI MP Gurudas Dasgupta said the former Australian captain had no business to make such comments.

"Chappell doesn't understand the nuances of democracy," he said.

"Let nobody lecture us on what the MPs' job is," Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee said.

"Chappell is responsible for India's poor show," Shahid Siddiqui, MP of Samajwadi Party, said.

Chappell was reacting to questions about criticism from the MPs following India's 157-run loss in the second match in Durban last week.

Forced by the MPs' strong show of sentiments, BCCI President Sharad Pawar, also the Union agriculture minister, announced that chairman of selectors Dilip Vengsarkar would fly out to South Africa at the earliest to convey the emotions of Indian people to the team.

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