NEW DELHI: Union minister Anurag Thakur on Thursday moved a privilege motion against Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of using unparliamentary and derogatory expressions during the Monsoon Session and violating the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the house.In a notice submitted under Rules 222 and 223 of the Lok Sabha Rules, Thakur requested that the matter be admitted and referred to the Committee of Privileges for a detailed examination under Rule 227.“Shri Rahul Gandhi has committed Breach of Privilege of member of Lok Sabha, Contempt of Lok Sabha and utter disregard to the authority of Hon’ble Speaker,” the notice alleged.The move comes after Rahul Gandhi alleged that he was not allowed to speak during the debate on the anti-paper leak Bill and later repeated the claim at a press conference outside Parliament.In the privilege notice, Thakur alleged that Rahul Gandhi used expressions that were objected to by parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju during his speech in the Lok Sabha and continued using them despite objections and warnings from the Chair.“Terming a section of citizens through such expressions on the floor of the House is offensive, derogatory, and demeans the dignity of Parliament, constituting contempt of the House,” the notice stated.According to the notice, the remarks violated Rule 352 of the Rules of Procedure, which prohibits offensive and defamatory expressions, personal references questioning the bona fides of individuals, and remarks that demean any individual or class of persons.Thakur further alleged that Rahul Gandhi’s conduct disrupted the functioning of the House and disregarded repeated directions from the Chair.“He has conducted and behaved in the House in such a manner that it was obstructive in proper discharge of function of members of Lok Sabha individually and collectively as a House. He also did not follow the repeated instructions of the Hon’ble Speaker of the House,” the notice said.The BJP leader alleged that Rahul Gandhi had committed a breach of privilege and contempt of the House and sought expunction of the disputed remarks from the official proceedings under Rules 380 and 381.
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The notice also requested that the matter be referred to the Committee of Privileges for a detailed inquiry and that Rahul Gandhi be directed to tender an unconditional apology to the House and the Union home minister.The development comes amid continuing political confrontation between the ruling BJP and the Opposition over the alleged NEET paper leak, police action against student protesters and repeated disruptions during the Monsoon Session of Parliament.
