Privilege motion to be moved against Rahul for misleading House: Rijiju

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday said a notice for privilege motion will be brought against Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, for misleading the House and making “baseless statements”.
Rijiju, however, did not specify when and who will give notice for privilege motion against Gandhi. It is believed that someone from treasury benches in the Lok Sabha will do so.
Participating in the debate on the Union Budget, Gandhi alleged that the government has “sold Bharat Mata” through the India-US interim trade deal, and that it was a “wholesale surrender” with India’s energy security being handed over to America and farmers’ interests compromised.
He said that if an INDIA bloc government would have negotiated the trade agreement with the US, it would have told US President Donald Trump they should treat India as an equal.
“You have sold India. Are you not ashamed of selling India? You have sold our mother, Bharat Mata,” Gandhi said, while referring to the recent trade agreement between the two countries.
Addressing a press conference at the Parliament House complex, Rijiju alleged that Gandhi made “baseless and false” allegations against the government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of selling India and its interest in the trade deal with the US.
Rijiju said the Leader of Opposition also made a serious allegation against Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri, taking his name without giving any prior notice.
“It is a serious breach of privilege. We are going to file a privilege notice against Rahul Gandhi for misleading the House and making baseless statements,” he added.
Rijiju claimed that 20 to 25 Congress MPs had abused Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla in his chamber and they were not stopped by senior leaders, K C Venugopal and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who were present there.
“They (the Congress MPs) were encouraging. Had our MPs misbehaved with anyone, our leader would stop them. But their (Congress’) leaders were egging on the MPs to quarrel,” he said.
Rijiju claimed the Congress MPs did not obey even the Speaker’s rulings. “Then Rahul Gandhi said he does not need anyone’s permission to speak (in Lok Sabha). He will speak as he pleases, irrespective of rules. This is on record,” the minister told reporters.
“You have to take permission from the chair. No member can speak unless the chair gives permission. Even the prime minister speaks with the permission of the chair,” he pointed out.
The parliamentary affairs minister said that Birla was very hurt by the behaviour of opposition members. The Lok Sabha speaker is a very lenient person, else he could have taken strong action, he added.
“Some members went to his chamber and abused (Birla). When 20-25 Congress MPs went to the speaker’s chamber, I also went there. I just can’t utter the kind of abuses they have hurled at the speaker,” Rijiju claimed.
About Gandhi’s insistence on speaking on the unpublished memoir of General M M Naravane (retired) in the Lok Sabha, Rijiju said conversations between the prime minister and the defence minister, the army chief and the defence minister, or between the army chief and his junior officers can’t be discussed in public. “If everything is to be discussed in public, how can you maintain the security for the nation?” he questioned. “The entire country can see how an MP is trying to use a very sensitive matter related to the country’s security as an instrument to drive political mileage.”
The minister said the matter should not be taken lightly, as it will not only demean Parliament but also the person raising it.
“Gandhi should understand that he is an honourable member of Parliament. He owes a certain responsibility to the people of this country. You have the obligation to maintain the decorum of the House and also think about the interest of the nation,” he said.
He said it was difficult to make Rahul Gandhi understand the issues. “I don’t know which world he lives in. But there are several sensible persons in Congress and they can make him understand that this is not the way Parliament should function.”
“You should not behave like a child on issues of the nation’s security. Our country is very big. Security is a very big issue for us. It is not right to lower the dignity of someone for political mileage. Rahul Gandhi got exposed. I don’t need to make any comment after he was exposed,” Rijiju added.
The Lok Sabha has been witnessing disruptions since February 2, after Rahul Gandhi was disallowed by the chair from quoting from an article based on excerpts of former Army chief Naravane’s unpublished memoir, which has references to the India-China conflict of 2020.