New Delhi [India], March 25: Congress MP Manickam Tagore on Tuesday accused Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju of breaching parliamentary privilege and insulting the House after Rijiju sought clarification from Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, regarding Congress’ stance on reservation for Muslims.
Speaking to media, outside Parliament, Tagore expressed concern over Rijiju’s actions, stating, “Parliamentary Affairs Minister has breached the privilege and insulted the House itself. Being Parliamentary Affairs Minister, he should not have done this. This is a valid reason for breach of privilege… I hope the privilege committee takes action. Though, till now in Lok Sabha, no privilege committee has been set up.”
Tagore’s comments came after Rijiju raised questions about Congress’ position on Muslim reservation, particularly in light of remarks made by Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar. Rijiju had described Shivakumar’s statements as “extremely serious.”
The Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were adjourned on Monday as the treasury benches tried to corner Congress over DK Shivakumar’s alleged remarks about the Constitution. BJP leaders, including Kiren Rijiju and Union Health Minister JP Nadda, led the charge in criticizing the Congress on the issue.
In response, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh submitted a breach of privilege notice to Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar, accusing Rijiju of misleading the House regarding Shivakumar’s comments on the Constitution.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar also responded to the BJP’s criticism, asserting that his remarks were being misrepresented. He said he was consulting legal experts and clarified, “On quotas, there are several judgments which have come, and after every judgment, amendments have been made to the Constitution; there is nothing else. So they (BJP) are trying to twist it. They don’t have any issues. I am happy that Jairam Ramesh has moved a privilege motion. I am also consulting legal experts.”