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Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Anurag Thakur on Thursday submitted a notice of breach of privilege and contempt of the House to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla
against Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi for what he termed as "use of unparliamentary and derogatory language and levelling grave and unsubstantiated allegations" against Home Minister Amit Shah.
BJP Wants Unconditional Apology From Rahul Gandhi
In a three-page notice, Anurag Thakur requested Om Birla to refer this matter to the Privilege Committee for a detailed enquiry and appropriate action, including a direction to Gandhi to tender an unconditional apology to the House and to Shah.
Referring to the proceedings of the House on July 29, when the debate on the anti-paper leak bill was taking place, Thakur said Gandhi violated Rule 352 while narrating a purported conversation with protesting students.
What Did Rahul Gandhi Say in Lok Sabha?
On Wednesday, Rahul Gandhi said that Home Minister Amit Shah's absence from Parliament "reeks of guilt", as he reiterated his demand for a Supreme Court-monitored probe into the alleged police excesses against students.
Gandhi also shared on X a video clip of police lathi-charging students.
"Students deserve justice. An independent SC-monitored high powered committee must be constituted to probe brutalities against our students," he said on the social media site, referring to the crackdown on agitators by security forces during the July 20 Cockroach Janta Party-led protest march to Parliament and on student demonstrators in other parts of the country.
In another post, Gandhi asked why Shah is "so scared" of coming to Parliament and explaining the brutal violence against students.
"It reeks of guilt," he added.
Gandhi also on Wednesday demanded the sacking of Shah and the constitution of a Supreme Court-monitored probe into what he claimed was a "brutal attack" on protesting students and the use of pellet guns on them.
The former Congress president alleged that by ordering the "brutalities" on students, Shah was culpable and hence should be removed. He said that in case the minister did not know about the use of pellet guns on protesters, he was incompetent.
The BJP hit back, accusing Gandhi of telling a "bundle of lies and demanded he apologise for "misusing" the House by making "baseless" allegations.
Gandhi launched an attack on Shah in Lok Sabha while speaking on a debate on the bill seeking stricter punishment for paper leaks. He alleged that Shah was behind police excesses and firing on student protesters, triggering a massive uproar from the treasury benches inside and outside Parliament.
The Speaker expunged many of Gandhi's remarks made in Lok Sabha, but the Congress leader repeated his charges outside Parliament.
With inputs from PTI
