NEW DELHI, JUL 31 (PTI): Congress MP K C Venugopal on Friday submitted a notice to move a privilege motion against Union Minister Jitendra Singh over his statement that “no firing took place” during the recent student protests.
He alleged that Singh deliberately provided incorrect information and misled the House.
In the letter submitted to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Venugopal said he wants raise a privilege issue regarding a statement made by Jitendra Singh on the floor of the House on July 29, during a discussion on the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026.
“While replying in the House, Dr Jitendra Singh categorically stated, ‘Secondly, it has been repeatedly clarified that no firing took place at all, tear gas was used; so when no firing took place at all, the question of giving an order does not arise’,” he said, giving an English translation of Singh’s remarks.
Venugopal, the Congress general secretary in-charge of organisation, contended that this statement stands in direct contradiction to the facts on the ground.
“Contrary to the minister’s assertions, firing did occur. The injured person is still under medication, with data available in the public domain. By falsely claiming on the floor of the House that no firing took place, the minister has knowingly and deliberately provided incorrect information to Parliament and misled the House,” Venugopal said.
The letter said it is well established that misleading the House constitutes a breach of privilege and contempt of the House. “A minister is expected to verify facts before placing them on record in the supreme legislative body of the country,” it said.
“Therefore, I request you to kindly initiate privilege proceedings against the minister and refer the matter to the Committee of Privileges for a thorough examination and necessary action,” the letter added.
In an X post, Venugopal said he has submitted a notice to move a privilege motion against Singh for “blatantly lying” in Parliament that “no firing took place” in response to the peaceful protests of students.
“Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi ji met a pellet gun victim in front of the media. There are countless media reports documenting victims of such firing, and hospital records have emerged of victims suffering from injuries from such firings,” Venugopal said.
The government cannot get away with such “obvious falsehoods” in Parliament, he said, adding that there should be action against the minister.
