
BJP MP seeks breach of privilege motion against Rahul for ‘distorting facts’
Rahul Gandhi’s comments triggered angry reactions, with parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju accusing the Congress leader of lying
BJP MP Nishikant Dubey has urged the Lok Sabha Speaker to initiate a breach of privilege motion against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for claiming in parliament that Chinese troops were on Indian soil.
In a letter to Om Birla, Dubey accused Rahul of not only “shamelessly” distorting “historical and substantive facts” but also making an attempt to ridicule India and lowering its prestige.
Rahul spreading canards: Dubey
Dubey submitted his notice to the Speaker and claimed that the Congress leader was using his parliamentary privilege to spread canards without authenticating his charges.
The seasoned BJP MP said Rahul’s speech carried mainly claims, including that mobile phones were not made in India but only assembled here and China has captured the Indian territory.
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Rahul’s China comment
Alleging that China was “sitting on 4,000 square km of our land”, Rahul quoted the Indian Army as contradicting the government’s assertion that no land had been surrendered to Beijing.
“The reason China is inside our territory is because ‘Make in India’ has failed. India is refusing to produce and I’m worried India to going to give up this revolution to the Chinese, again,” he said on Monday.
Row with Jaishankar
Rahul also alleged that India sent Foreign Minister S Jaishankar to the US to get an invite for Prime Minister Narendra Modi for US President Donald Trump’s swearing-in ceremony.
Jaishankar on Monday countered the charge and accused Rahul of deliberately speaking falsehood.
“At no stage was an invitation in respect of the PM discussed. It is common knowledge that our PM does not attend such events. In fact, India is generally represented by Special Envoys,” he said.
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Rahul’s claims
Rahul’s charges were also related to the electoral rolls for the Maharashtra Assembly polls and the law for the appointment of the election commissioner.
In his letter, Dubey touched on the issues as well as the Congress leader’s allegations related to his demand for a caste census.
He alleged, “While raising these issues, Rahul Gandhi has not only shamelessly distorted the historical and substantive facts but also made an attempt to ridicule our country and lowering the prestige of our Republic.”
‘Neither authenticated, nor apologised’
He noted that Birla had asked Gandhi to authenticate his claims while noting that the Congress leader had not done it yet.
In a swipe at the Leader of Opposition, Dubey said, “This ‘erudite’ person has neither authenticated his gibberish canards nor apologised for using the pious forum of Parliament to defame our country and the elected government.”
He accused Rahul of blatantly misusing the Constitution’s Article 105, which accords privileges to parliamentarians for their comments made inside the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.
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‘Delinquent’ behaviour
Claiming that the privilege is subject to provisions of the Constitution and to the rules and standing orders regulating the procedure of Parliament, Dubey alleged that Rahul was misusing Parliament on an “utterly false and imaginary notion” that he as an MP has an inherent privilege to speak whatever he likes on the floor of the House.
The Congress leader seemed to believe that even the presiding officer or the Leader of the House or the treasury benches have no authority to discipline his “delinquent” behaviour, he said.
‘Article 105 doesn’t give absolute freedom’
He said, “The fact remains that Article 105 does not give absolute powers and freedom to any public representative, especially of the ilk of Rahul Gandhi, of there would be anarchy in the House.”
Dubey said it is an established legal position that MPs broadly enjoy various privileges are subject to various widely accepted “mores”.
Urging the Speaker to initiate proceedings against Rahul, he alleged that Parliament’s records and proceedings are a testimony to his incessant irresponsible attitude as the “guardian of India Chapter of Foreign Tool-Kit” aimed at destabilizing the country.
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Rijiju challenges Rahul
Rahul’s comments triggered angry reactions, with parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju accusing the Congress leader of lying.
“We would like to remind him that such kinds of frivolous act and language should not be repeatedly used. It undermines the parliamentary standards," Rijiju said.
He later met Speaker Birla to demand proof from Rahul, media reports said.
Breach of privilege
A breach of privilege notice is a legislative tool that can be invoked against members found misusing their rights or misleading parliament.
Several BJP MPs, including Union ministers, had protested during Rahul’s speech, accusing him of making “unsubstantiated allegations”.
(With agency inputs)