Lok Sabha Privilege Committee To Hear BJP's Demand For Action Against Rahul Gandhi
The Committee of Privilege has also summoned Jharkhand-based BJP MP Nishikant Dubey on Friday in connection with the case.
The Lok Sabha Privilege Committee will hear on Friday the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) demand seeking a privilege motion against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for making a "misleading, derogatory, unparliamentary and incriminatory" statement during a discussion on the motion of thanks on the President's Address, reported news agency ANI.
The Committee of Privilege has also summoned Jharkhand-based BJP MP Nishikant Dubey in connection with the case. The privilege panel chaired by Lok Sabha MP Sunil Singh, will hear Dubey on the matter of seeking a privilege motion against Congress MP Rahul Gandhi.
A communication sent to the Godda MP accessed by ANI reads, "Committee of Privileges has decided to hear you in the matter of Notices of Question of breach of privilege dated February 7, 2023, given by Nishikant Dubey, MP and Pralhad Joshi, MP and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs against Rahul Gandhi, MP for making a misleading, derogatory, unparliamentary and incriminatory statement during a discussion on the motion of thanks on President's Address in the House on 7 February 2023 and a further request for expunction of the impugned statements."
On February 8, BJP MP Dubey wrote to the Speaker of the Lok Sabha requesting permission to move a breach of privilege motion notice against Rahul Gandhi. This was one day after Gandhi's speech in the Lok Sabha, during which he made several accusations against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his association with businessman Gautam Adani. Pralhad Joshi, the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, also sent a similar notice.
"These statements are misleading, derogatory, indecent, unparliamentary, undignified and incriminatory in nature to the dignity of the House and Prime Minister being a Member of Lok Sabha. Rahul Gandhi, despite making a statement in the House that he would provide documentary evidence has not submitted any duly authenticated document for supporting his statements," reads Dubey's letter to the Lok Sabha Speaker.
In addition, Dubey said that the Congress MP's assertion, which was made in the absence of any supporting documentation, reflected poorly on the Prime Minister and amounted to misleading the House.
The letter further read, "This conduct is in clear violation of the privileges of the House and its members besides being a clear case of contempt of the House. I request you to take immediate action against Rahul Gandhi for breach of privilege and contempt of House."
In the wake of the Hindenburg-Adani controversy, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi unleashed a scathing attack on the government on Tuesday. He said that "rules were changed" in some sectors to benefit the businessman and connected the success of the Adani group to that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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