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NEW DELHI: The Congress has continued with its offensive against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reply to the Motion of Thanks on the President’s address in Parliament last week. The grand old party has now sought breach of privilege proceedings against the Prime Minister in Rajya Sabha for allegedly making “derogatory” remarks against Hamid Ansari, former chairman of the Upper House.
“I wish to bring to your notice a serious incident of breach of privilege and contempt of the House on the part of the Prime Minister of India. On July 2, 2024, prime minister while replying to the discussion on the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address in Lok Sabha inter alia stated: ‘No matter how many numbers they claim, when we came in 2014, our strength in the Rajya Sabha was very low, and the Chair’s inclination was somewhat on the other side’,” Congress leader Jairam Ramesh has written in a letter to Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankar.
On Saturday, the Congress had accused PM Modi of breaking all parliamentary norms by accusing the then Rajya Sabha chairman Hamid Ansari of having an “inclination” towards the opposition when the BJP came to power in 2014.
In his reply to the Motion of Thanks on the President’s address on July 2, PM Modi had said, “No matter how many numbers they claim, when we came in 2014, our strength in the Rajya Sabha was very low, and the Chair’s inclination was somewhat on the other side. But we did not waver from our resolve to serve the country with pride. I want to tell the people of the country that the decision you have made, the order you have given us to serve, neither Modi nor this government will be afraid of any such obstacles. We will fulfill the resolutions we have set out to achieve.”
While the Prime Minister did not name anyone, former Vice-President Ansari was the chairman of Rajya Sabha from August 2012 to August 2017.
In his letter, dated July 8, to the Rajya Sabha chairman, Jairam Ramesh wrote: “The accusation attributed to Dr. Hamid Ansari of ‘leaning’ towards the Opposition made by the prime minister is wholly unacceptable and grossly derogatory to say the least, apart from being completely false.”
Incidentally, this is not the first time that the Prime Minister has targeted former Vice-President Ansari, Ramesh said in his letter and pointed out that on August 10, 2017, the Prime Minister in his farewell speech on Ansari’s retirement in the Balayogi Auditorium had alluded to then retiring chairman’s earlier diplomatic postings in a “mischievous manner”.
“No prime minister has ever attacked a former speaker of Lok Sabha or chairman of Rajya Sabha in the manner in which Shri Narendra Modi has done,” the Congress leader alleged and added “The prime minister has broken all parliamentary norms, decorum and, as a matter of fact, set a new low to the dignity of the very office of the Prime Minister of India.”
“Such defamatory remarks made on the floor of Lok Sabha, attributing derogatory motives to the former Chairman of Rajva Sabha when he was not present to defend himself is tantamount to grave disregard and disrespect to the high office of the Chairman, Rajya Sabha, as well as to the Rajya Sabha itself. I, therefore, seek privilege proceedings against the prime minister in the matter,” Ramesh said in his letter to Dhankhar.
‘Factually incorrect, inaccurate and misleading statements’
This is the second time that the Congress has targeted Prime Minister Modi over his reply to the Motion of Thanks on the President’s address in Parliament.
Earlier on June 4, Congress MP Manickam Tagore had written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to point out “factually incorrect, inaccurate and misleading statements” made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP MP Anurag Thakur in the House and sought appropriate action in the matter.
The Congress MP said that Prime Minister Modi in his reply to the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address had said that the Congress made a “false promise” of Rs 8,500 per month to women, when the party’s promise was conditional to victory and government formation.
He also challenged Prime Minister Modi’s claim that the Congress vote share has gone down in 16 states in which it contested alone. “This is factually incorrect. The Congress vote share increased in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Telangana etc.,” Tagore was quoted as saying in his letter to Om Birla.
The Congress MP also termed as “grossly misleading” Modi’s remarks that “no bullet proof jackets [were provided] for the Army during the Congress’ time”. “There was a shortage of jackets, not that jackets were not there. Even police had bullet proof jackets like in Mumbai attacks,” Tagore said.
He also challenged the Prime Minister over the claim that the Congress didn’t give fighter jets to the Army.
(With inputs from agencies)
“I wish to bring to your notice a serious incident of breach of privilege and contempt of the House on the part of the Prime Minister of India. On July 2, 2024, prime minister while replying to the discussion on the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address in Lok Sabha inter alia stated: ‘No matter how many numbers they claim, when we came in 2014, our strength in the Rajya Sabha was very low, and the Chair’s inclination was somewhat on the other side’,” Congress leader Jairam Ramesh has written in a letter to Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankar.
On Saturday, the Congress had accused PM Modi of breaking all parliamentary norms by accusing the then Rajya Sabha chairman Hamid Ansari of having an “inclination” towards the opposition when the BJP came to power in 2014.
In his reply to the Motion of Thanks on the President’s address on July 2, PM Modi had said, “No matter how many numbers they claim, when we came in 2014, our strength in the Rajya Sabha was very low, and the Chair’s inclination was somewhat on the other side. But we did not waver from our resolve to serve the country with pride. I want to tell the people of the country that the decision you have made, the order you have given us to serve, neither Modi nor this government will be afraid of any such obstacles. We will fulfill the resolutions we have set out to achieve.”
While the Prime Minister did not name anyone, former Vice-President Ansari was the chairman of Rajya Sabha from August 2012 to August 2017.
In his letter, dated July 8, to the Rajya Sabha chairman, Jairam Ramesh wrote: “The accusation attributed to Dr. Hamid Ansari of ‘leaning’ towards the Opposition made by the prime minister is wholly unacceptable and grossly derogatory to say the least, apart from being completely false.”
Incidentally, this is not the first time that the Prime Minister has targeted former Vice-President Ansari, Ramesh said in his letter and pointed out that on August 10, 2017, the Prime Minister in his farewell speech on Ansari’s retirement in the Balayogi Auditorium had alluded to then retiring chairman’s earlier diplomatic postings in a “mischievous manner”.
“No prime minister has ever attacked a former speaker of Lok Sabha or chairman of Rajya Sabha in the manner in which Shri Narendra Modi has done,” the Congress leader alleged and added “The prime minister has broken all parliamentary norms, decorum and, as a matter of fact, set a new low to the dignity of the very office of the Prime Minister of India.”
“Such defamatory remarks made on the floor of Lok Sabha, attributing derogatory motives to the former Chairman of Rajva Sabha when he was not present to defend himself is tantamount to grave disregard and disrespect to the high office of the Chairman, Rajya Sabha, as well as to the Rajya Sabha itself. I, therefore, seek privilege proceedings against the prime minister in the matter,” Ramesh said in his letter to Dhankhar.
‘Factually incorrect, inaccurate and misleading statements’
This is the second time that the Congress has targeted Prime Minister Modi over his reply to the Motion of Thanks on the President’s address in Parliament.
Earlier on June 4, Congress MP Manickam Tagore had written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to point out “factually incorrect, inaccurate and misleading statements” made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP MP Anurag Thakur in the House and sought appropriate action in the matter.
The Congress MP said that Prime Minister Modi in his reply to the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address had said that the Congress made a “false promise” of Rs 8,500 per month to women, when the party’s promise was conditional to victory and government formation.
He also challenged Prime Minister Modi’s claim that the Congress vote share has gone down in 16 states in which it contested alone. “This is factually incorrect. The Congress vote share increased in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Telangana etc.,” Tagore was quoted as saying in his letter to Om Birla.
The Congress MP also termed as “grossly misleading” Modi’s remarks that “no bullet proof jackets [were provided] for the Army during the Congress’ time”. “There was a shortage of jackets, not that jackets were not there. Even police had bullet proof jackets like in Mumbai attacks,” Tagore said.
He also challenged the Prime Minister over the claim that the Congress didn’t give fighter jets to the Army.
(With inputs from agencies)
