National: A controversy has erupted in the Indian Parliament after Congress MP Manickam Tagore accused Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju of breaching parliamentary privilege. Tagore alleged that Rijiju disrespected the House by seeking clarification from Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, on the Congress’ stance regarding Muslim reservations.
The issue began when Rijiju questioned Kharge over Congress’ position on reservations for Muslims, citing remarks made by Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar. Rijiju deemed Shivakumar’s comments “extremely serious,” leading to disruptions in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on Monday. BJP leaders, including Rijiju and Union Health Minister JP Nadda, demanded clarity from the Congress, accusing the opposition of making contradictory statements regarding the Constitution and quota policies.
In response, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh submitted a breach of privilege notice to Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar against Rijiju, alleging that he misled the House on Shivakumar’s statements. Shivakumar defended his remarks, stating that they were based on judicial rulings and constitutional amendments. He accused the BJP of misinterpreting his comments, saying, “They are trying to twist it. They don’t have any issues.”
Tagore urged the privilege committee to take action against Rijiju, saying, “The Parliamentary Affairs Minister has breached privilege and insulted the House itself. Being the minister in charge of parliamentary affairs, he should not have done this.” However, he noted that no privilege committee has been set up in Lok Sabha yet.
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