Centre won't bring privilege motion against Rahul Gandhi, controversial remarks in Lok Sabha to be expunged
The development comes after Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi targeted the Centre in Lok Sabha over the India-US trade deal, making claims against Union Minister Hardeep Puri over the controversial Epstein files disclosures.
The Centre will not move a privilege motion against Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, but his remarks will be expunged from Parliament records, sources said. The government is expected to seek the expunction of remarks made by Rahul Gandhi during his speech in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. According to sources, the move is being considered on the grounds that the allegations levelled by him were not authenticated.
Parliamentary rules require members to substantiate serious allegations made in the House. Remarks that are deemed unverified, defamatory or not in accordance with established procedure can be ordered to be expunged from the official record by the Chair.
The development comes a day after Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said that BJP members in the Lok Sabha would move a privilege notice against Rahul Gandhi for “misleading the House and making baseless statements”.
Rijiju said that Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, had levelled false and unsubstantiated allegations against the government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Rahul's speech in Lok Sabha
On Wednesday, Rahul Gandhi questioned why industrialist Anil Ambani was not in jail, alleging that his name appeared in the Epstein-related files.
He also claimed that there was pressure on the Prime Minister over the India-US nuclear deal and said that no prime minister would have done what, according to him, had happened in matters concerning data, farmers, energy security and defence.
"I have said that I will authenticate the data I have. There are Department of Justice files on Epstein files naming Hardeep Puri and Anil Ambani. In an ongoing case against Adani, summons have been issued," Rahul told reporters outside Parliament.
"The government of India has not responded for the last 18 months. There is direct pressure on the Prime Minister. The main thing is that no PM would do this in a normal situation. In a normal situation, no PM would do what has happened in terms of data, farmers, energy security and defence. Someone would do this only when there is a certain grip on them," he claimed.
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