Even as the government and the Opposition fought tooth and nail inside and outside Parliament, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Thursday gave a notice to move a privilege motion against Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, alleging that he made an objectionable remark about “Opposition members not being fit to be in Parliament”.
TMC Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghose said that she submitted the motion, which was signed by members of Opposition parties, demanding an apology from Rijiju and that his remark about Opposition members be expunged.
“I have moved a privilege motion against Parliamentary Affairs minister Kiren Rijiju. My colleague Nadimul Haque had gone together to submit it. We feel that Kiren Rijiju is the Parliamentary Affairs minister and it is his responsibility that the House is run smoothly. But he is not fulfilling this duty and is repeatedly disrespecting the Opposition,” Ghose, who was accompanied by party MP Nadimul Haque, said.
“Yesterday, he looked at the Opposition and said we are not fit to sit in the House. This kind of statement when given by the Parliamentary Affairs minister, then he is misusing and disrespecting his post. All Opposition party members have signed the motion, and we seek an apology from him and that his remark that I mentioned about us not being fit should be expunged,” she added.
Rijiju has been among the most vocal BJP leaders in the criticism of the Opposition INDIA bloc’s move to submit a notice for the removal of Vice-President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Tuesday, calling the action “extremely regrettable”.
Speaking to reporters in the national capital on Tuesday, Rijiju had expressed confidence that the notice would be rejected by the Rajya Sabha, asserting that the majority of its members have “full faith” in Dhankhar. Describing the Vice-President as a “knowledgeable person and a gentleman”, he said such a motion would not succeed.
The senior BJP leader had accused the Congress of using the notice to distract from its alleged connections with US billionaire George Soros and his purported anti-India activities. “The Congress has submitted this notice against Dhankhar to hide its misdeeds and distract attention,” Rijiju had alleged.
Soon after Rijiju was appointed parliamentary affairs minister in June, the Congress was quick to criticise the move, alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi “doesn’t want Parliament to function any differently than it has in the last decade”. Rijiju also has the charge of the Ministry of Minority Affairs.
Over the years, Rijiju has on several occasions riled up the Congress by targeting senior leader Rahul Gandhi. In January, he mocked Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, claiming it was for the Congress leader’s “fun”.
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