Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday, February 11, said the government will file a privilege notice against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for “misleading the House” and making “baseless allegations.”
He said there are clear rules and procedures for the conduct of business in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. “When a member intends to make serious charges against another member, then you have to give notice and also substantiate the allegation,” he stated.
“We will demand expunging of whatever lies Rahul Gandhi has spoken,” he told reporters.
Addressing a press conference he added that he had requested the chair to ask Rahul Gandhi to come to the floor of the House and authenticate the claims made during his speech.
He stated that Rahul Gandhi has made useless and false allegations against the government and the prime minister, claiming that the PM has sold India and Indian interests.
Further, he demanded proof supporting the allegations. “On what basis? He has also made serious allegations against Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri without giving any notice,” Rijiju stated.
Though Gandhi has promised to authenticate what he has said, the minister said, “I know he cannot authenticate them because he lied. He lied in the House.”
He said he told Gandhi to be present during Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s address during the Budget discussion. “After his speech, he immediately went out of the House. The rule is that once a member delivers his speech, he cannot leave the House immediately,” he said.
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What Rahul Gandhi said
Earlier, taking aim at the government over the India-US interim trade agreement, Rahul Gandhi accused the government of compromising national interests and wondered if it was “not ashamed of selling India.”
“When America says we cannot buy oil from a particular country, it effectively means our energy security is being dictated externally — that energy itself is being weaponised against us. Are you not ashamed of this? I am saying you have compromised India’s interests. Have you no shame in what you are doing? It is as though you have sold ‘Bharat Mata’,” he said.
He emphasised that if the INDIA bloc was negotiating with US President Donald Trump, they’d prioritise Indian data’s importance. He stressed the need for equal treatment, saying, “Talk to us like equals, not like we are your servants.”
Gandhi highlighted India’s energy security and farmers’ protection, stating, “Please understand that our energy security is ours, we are going to protect it. We understand you have an agricultural voter base, that you need to protect farmers, but we will also protect our farmers. We will not be made equal to Pakistan.”
