Insulted Parliament, made defamatory remarks; Union Minister moves  breach of privilege notice against Rahul Gandhi

NEW DELHI: Union Minister Anurag Thakur has moved a breach of privilege notice against Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, alleging that he made defamatory and objectionable remarks during the Monsoon Session of Parliament and violated the rules of the House. Anurag Thakur has requested that the matter be referred to the Privileges Committee for a detailed inquiry. The notice alleges that Rahul Gandhi breached the privileges of a Lok Sabha member, showed contempt towards the House and completely disregarded the authority of the Speaker. The notice comes after Rahul Gandhi alleged in the Lok Sabha, and later at a press conference outside Parliament, that he was not given an opportunity to speak during the discussion on the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill.

According to the notice, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju had objected to certain remarks made by Rahul Gandhi during his speech in the Lok Sabha. It further alleges that Rahul repeated those remarks despite being warned by the Speaker. The notice states that Rahul Gandhi's remarks were insulting, defamatory and lowered the dignity of Parliament. Anurag Thakur also alleged that Rahul's conduct disrupted the smooth functioning of the Lok Sabha and ignored repeated directions from the Speaker. He has also requested that the controversial remarks be expunged from the Lok Sabha records under Rules 380 and 381 of the Rules of Procedure.