Congress Moves for Privilege Motion Against Rijiju Over Misleading Claims

Jairam Ramesh, chief whip of Congress in the Rajya Sabha, filed a breach of privilege notice against Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju for allegedly misleading the House. The notice concerns alleged statements made by Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, which have been refuted. Privilege proceedings are requested.

The Indian parliamentary landscape witnessed a storm on Monday as Congress's chief whip in the Rajya Sabha, Jairam Ramesh, issued a notice of breach of privilege against Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju. The issue stemmed from Rijiju's statements attributing remarks to Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, which the latter has denied.

Ramesh took action under Rule 188 of the Rajya Sabha's procedural guidelines, claiming Rijiju blatantly misinformed the House about Shivakumar. The allegations, according to Ramesh, misrepresented Shivakumar's statements as false and derogatory, thereby breaching parliamentary privilege and disrespecting the House.

In his address, Rijiju insinuated that a senior Congress leader intended to amend the Constitution for Muslim reservation, a statement purportedly targeting Shivakumar. Ramesh's notice calls for privilege proceedings against Rijiju, asserting the severity of misleading parliamentary discourse.

(With inputs from agencies.)