'Deliberately Mocked': Congress MP Gives Breach Of Privilege Notice Against PM Modi Over Nehru Surname Remarks

PM Modi knows that the surname of the father is not taken by the daughter, but he "deliberately mocked", Congress MP K C Venugopal said in a privilege notice over the PM's remarks on Nehru surname.

New Delhi: Congress leader K C Venugopal on Friday gave a breach of privilege notice against Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his remarks on why former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru's family did not use his surname. The notice was given to Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar.

The Prime Minister made the remarks during his reply to the motion of thanks on the President's address in the Rajya Sabha on February 9 during the first part of the budget session.

"I hereby give a notice of question of privilege against the prime minister of India under Rule 188 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Council of States (Rajya Sabha) for having cast reflections upon members of Parliament during his reply to the motion of thanks on the president's address on February 9, 2023," Venugopal stated in his notice.

He said that the remarks "prima facie were made in a mocking manner and were not only disgraceful but also insulting and defamatory vis-a-vis members of the Nehru family," particularly Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi who are members of the Lok Sabha.

 In his notice, Venugopal contended that PM Modi's suggestion on why they did not take Nehru as a surname is "preposterous" by its very nature.

The Prime Minister, he said, knows very well that the surname of the father is not taken by the daughter.

"Despite knowing that, he deliberately mocked....The tone and tenor of the remark is insinuating and derogatory in nature. This clearly amounts to casting reflections upon Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi by the prime minister, which breaches upon their privileges and also tantamounts to contempt of the house."

"I seek privilege proceedings against Shri Narendra Modi, prime minister of India, for having made derogatory, insulting, distasteful and defamatory remarks against Smt Sonia Gandhi and Shri Rahul Gandhi which has amounted to breach of their privileges and also contempt of the house," the Congress Rajya Sabha member stated in his notice.

The notice comes as the BJP has been demanding an apology from Rahul Gandhi over his "democracy under threat" remarks made recently in London. The party alleged that the former Congress chief has defamed India and its institutions on foreign soil. 

The Parliament has been in a deadlock ever since the second part of the budget session began on March 13 due to the sloganeering by the BJP and the Congress.