Anurag Thakur Moves Privilege Notice Against Rahul Gandhi Over Lok Sabha Remarks

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Anurag Singh Thakur has submitted a notice of breach of privilege and contempt of the House against Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, alleging that remarks made during Lok Sabha proceedings on July 29 violated parliamentary rules and undermined the authority of the Speaker.

The notice, dated July 30 and addressed to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Thakur requested that the matter be admitted and referred to the Committee of Privileges under Rule 227 for a detailed examination.

In the notice, Thakur alleged that Gandhi used "unparliamentary and derogatory language" during his speech, citing the words "idiot" and "andhbhakt". According to the complaint, Gandhi categorised people into three classes – "students", "idiots" and "andhbhakts" – while narrating a purported conversation with a student.

The notice stated that Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju objected to the remarks during the proceedings and sought their expunction as unparliamentary. It further alleged that Gandhi repeated the expressions despite being warned by the Chair.

Thakur argued that the terms fall within compilations of expressions held unfit for use in the House and contended that their use violated Rule 352. The complaint specifically referred to provisions barring members from making personal references by imputing motives, using offensive expressions and directing defamatory words at individuals or classes of persons.

Beyond the language used, the BJP MP alleged that Gandhi's remarks strayed beyond the subject under discussion. According to the notice, the speech introduced an anecdotal narrative about a private conversation with a student that had "no direct relevance" to the motion before the House.

The complaint argued that this amounted to a violation of Rule 352(vii), which, according to the notice, requires members to confine their remarks to the matter under discussion and prohibits the use of the right of speech for purposes extraneous to or obstructive of House business.

Thakur also accused Gandhi of making "grave and unsubstantiated allegations" against Union Home Minister Amit Shah without giving the advance notice required under Rule 353.

The notice quoted Rule 353 as requiring members to provide advance notice to the Speaker and the minister concerned before making allegations of a defamatory or incriminatory nature so that the minister has an opportunity to investigate the matter and respond.

According to the complaint, Gandhi neither furnished advance notice nor produced documentary evidence or a credible source to substantiate the allegations. Thakur further claimed that similar issues involving Rules 352 and 353 had arisen in connection with Gandhi's past remarks.

In the concluding section of the notice, Thakur alleged that Gandhi's conduct had obstructed the proper functioning of the House, failed to comply with repeated directions of the Speaker and amounted to breach of privilege, contempt of the Lok Sabha and disregard for the authority of the Chair.

He requested that the Speaker admit the privilege notice under Rule 222, expunge the offending remarks from the proceedings under Rules 380 and 381, and refer the matter to the Committee of Privileges under Rule 227 for appropriate action.

The notice also sought a direction requiring Gandhi to tender an unconditional apology to both the House and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Thakur stated that he remained available to provide any additional material, including the official proceedings and video record of the July 29 sitting, if required by the Chair or the Committee.