Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Anurag Thakur on Thursday moved a privilege motion against Rahul Gandhi over his speech in Lok Sabha and alleged that the Leader of Opposition (LoP) had used "unparliamentary and derogatory" remarks against Union Home Minister Amit Shah, violating the rules of the House.
The former union minister demanded an enquiry against Gandhi and said he should be directed to issue an unconditional apology to Shah and the Lower House. He claimed that the Congress MP's remarks were outside the scope of the matter under debate.
In his three-page letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla submitted under Rules 222 and 223, Thakur said Gandhi violated Rules 352 and 353 by using unparliamentary language and making grave allegations against Shah.
"During his address to the House, Shri Rahul Gandhi, while narrating a purported conversation with a student, categorised persons into three classes, 'students', 'idiots' and 'andhbhakts', the latter two terms being used to characterise citizens and, by clear implication, political opponents and supporters of the government," Thakur said.
"The terms 'idiot' and 'andhbhakt' fall squarely within the category of words that successive Lok Sabha Secretariat compilations of unparliamentary expressions have held unfit for use in the House, alongside terms such as 'foolish', 'incompetent' and other derogatory epithets," he added.
Thakur, a Lok Sabha member from Himachal Pradesh's Hamirpur, said Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rjiju objected to Gandhi's remarks and demanded that the words be expunged, but the Congress MP continued even after being warned by the chair.
Gandhi has committed Breach of Privilege of member of Lok Sabha, contempt of the Lower House and utter "disregard to the authority" of the Speaker, Thakur said, while adding that he is ready to furnish any further particulars, including the official proceedings and video record of the House.
"He has conducted and behaved in the House in such a manner that it was obstructive in proper discharge of function of members of Lok Sabha individually and collectively as a House. He also did no follow the repeated instructions of the Hon'ble Speaker of the House," Thakur said.
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