Congress moves privilege motion against PM Modi for sharing BJP MP’s speech with expunged remarks
The prime minister encouraged his followers to listen to Anurag Thakur’s speech that contained his remarks questioning Rahul Gandhi’s caste in Lok Sabha.
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The Congress on Wednesday moved a breach of privilege motion against Prime Minister Narendra Modi for sharing the unedited version of Bharatiya Janata Party MP Anurag Thakur’s speech from Tuesday’s Lok Sabha proceedings on X.
Parliamentary privileges are certain rights conferred to MPs for conducting the business of Parliament. Members of Parliament can file breach of privilege motions seeking action if these rights are violated. The chairperson of the House decides on whether to admit the motion and whether to refer it to the Privileges Committee.
Thakur in his speech had questioned the Congress on seeking a caste census. “Those who do not know their own caste are demanding a caste census,” Thakur had said in an apparent reference to Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi.
The comment had drawn criticism from the Opposition MPs including Samajwadi Party MP Akhilesh Yadav who said how can Thakur ask somebody’s caste in Parliament.
Thakur’s remarks on caste were expunged from Parliament records. However, Modi shared the unedited version of it from Sansad TV’s YouTube channel on X, and praised the MP from Himachal Pradesh’s Hamirpur.
“This speech by my young and energetic colleague, Anurag Thakur is a must hear,” Modi said while sharing the video. “A perfect mix of facts and humour, exposing the dirty politics of the INDI Alliance.”
However, Congress Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh accused Modi of encouraging a serious breach of parliamentary privilege by sharing the “highly abusive and unconstitutional tirade”.
This speech that the non-biological Prime Minister calls a ‘must hear’ is a highly abusive and unconstitutional tirade – and by sharing it, he has encouraged a serious breach of Parliamentary privilege. Former Union Minister Anurag Thakur brought Parliamentary discourse to a new… https://t.co/tF75hK1sPd
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) July 31, 2024
The motion was moved on Wednesday by Congress Lok Sabha MP Charanjit Singh Channi.
The breach of privilege plea said that it was shocking to note that the expunged portions of Thakur’s speech had been tweeted by the prime minister on X.
“The Prime Minister’s tweeting of remarks which had been expunged from the proceedings of Lok Sabha clearly amounts to a breach of privilege and contempt of the House,” he said. “I, therefore, contemplate to move a privilege motion against Prime Minister and request you to please admit my motion and permit me to move the same.”
#WATCH | Congress MP Charanjit Singh Channi says, "I have moved a Privilege Motion against the PM. I have written to the Lok Sabha Speaker that it was contempt of the House when the PM tweeted & promoted the certain objectionable remarks made by Anurag Thakur after they were… pic.twitter.com/Z2RZ5kD9SC
— ANI (@ANI) July 31, 2024