In a fiery press briefing Wednesday, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju vowed to initiate privilege proceedings against Rahul Gandhi for his controversial budget speech in Lok Sabha. The move comes amid accusations that the Congress leader deliberately misled Parliament with unsubstantiated claims.
Rijiju laid out the parliamentary playbook: prior notice and proof are mandatory for grave allegations against fellow members. ‘Gandhi flouted these sacred rules,’ he charged, signaling the government’s intent to seek redress through the Speaker.
During the debate, Gandhi allegedly skipped constructive inputs, favoring inflammatory rhetoric instead. Rijiju highlighted his advice to Gandhi: stick around for the Finance Minister’s 5 PM rebuttal and back up those words with facts.
Rijiju dismantled Gandhi’s economic critique by citing Dr. Manmohan Singh’s pre-2014 prediction of India hitting third-largest economy status by 2030, as per PIB releases. ‘Modi ji accelerated it,’ he boasted. From 11th in 2014—tagged ‘fragile five’—India now ranks fourth, eyeing third soon.
On Gandhi’s ‘India sold’ barb, Rijiju fired back passionately: ‘This country has no price tag. Impossible to buy or sell.’ He accused Gandhi of invoking names of non-MPs and Minister Hardeep Puri, ignoring Chair reprimands and rule breaches even after apologizing.
The BJP will formally notify the Speaker, insisting on evidence for claims and expunction of unparliamentary language. Rijiju stressed the impropriety of storming out post-allegations without awaiting replies—a point he reiterated for Wednesday’s session.
This episode spotlights escalating House confrontations, with Rijiju positioning the government’s economic record as unassailable against opposition onslaughts. As Sitharaman prepares her response, all eyes remain on whether Gandhi returns to defend his stance.