Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday said that the ruling BJP will move a privilege motion against Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of misleading the house and making baseless statements, even as the Congress leader asserted that he was ready to authenticate his claims.
“Rahul Gandhi has made useless and false allegations against the government, against the Prime Minister, saying that the Prime Minister has sold India and Indian interests. On what basis? He has made a serious allegation against Hardeep Singh Puri without giving any notice,” Rijiju said.
The Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister further added, “We are going to file a privilege notice against Rahul Gandhi… There are very clear-cut rules of procedure and conduct of business in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. When a member intends to make serious charges against another member, then you have to give notice and also substantiate the allegation.”
However, when Rijiju raised this in the House, Rahul Gandhi had offered to authenticate his assertions, but BJP MP Jagdambika Pal, who was in the Speaker’s chair, told him that he had not yet been asked to do so by the Chair.
During his speech earlier today, Rahul accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of “compromising” India’s interests while signing the trade agreement with the United States. “Have you no shame in what you are doing? It is as though you have sold ‘Bharat Mata’,” said Rahul Gandhi.
However, Rijiju countered his allegations, saying the LoP’s speech was “full of lies and allegations”.
“While giving a speech on the budget, Rahul Gandhi is making allegations without any argument, without any evidence, and without giving any notice. His entire speech, whatever wrong things he has said, everything will be removed, and whatever unparliamentary words he has used should also be removed, especially whatever lies he has said, wrong things, allegations he has made, all of them should be removed,” he said.
BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad also slammed the Congress leader, saying that he “should remember one thing that in the leadership of PM Modi, India will not bow down before anyone.” Prasad claimed that Rahul violated the rules of the House.
BJP Spokesperson Sudhanshu Dwivedi also launched a scathing attack on the Gandhi scion. He said that the Leader of the Opposition seems to believe in “spreading venomous lies”.
“His behaviour during parliamentary proceedings has been lethargic… The behaviour of the Congress party in the House has been no better than what one might witness on the roadside. Such conduct is unbecoming in a parliamentary setting… We saw how women were used as a shield as people moved towards the treasury bench, holding banners, recalls the memories of Shaheen Bagh…,” Trivedi charged.