Congress Moves Privilege Motion Against Amit Shah, Day After Trinamool

The Congress today moved a privilege motion against Home Minister Amit Shah over his remarks about Dr BR Ambedkar. Mr Shah, speaking in the Rajya Sabha on December 17, had commented that Congress leaders “would have got a place in heaven had they chanted the name of God rather than following the fashion of repeating Ambedkar’s name.”

Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge’s motion, comes just a day after Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Derek O’Brien submitted a similar notice, accusing Mr Shah of demeaning Dr Ambedkar and belittling the contributions of Opposition. 

“I hereby give a notice of question of privilege against Shri Amit Shah, Minister of Home Affairs under Rule 188 of Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Council of States (Rajya Sabha),” Mr Kharge said in his notice. “It is well established that any misconduct in the presence of the House or casting reflections and making defamatory statements constitute a breach of privilege and contempt of the House.”

The Home Minister’s remarks have sparked uproar both within and outside Parliament, as the Opposition accuses the BJP of showing disrespect to Ambedkar’s legacy.

The fallout from Mr Shah’s remarks spilt onto the Parliament premises. Competing marches by Opposition and BJP-led MPs allegedly escalated into physical altercations. BJP MP Pratap Sarangi sustained a forehead injury after an alleged push by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during the chaos. Mr Sarangi was rushed to a hospital, where he reportedly received stitches to stop the bleeding.

Rahul Gandhi refuted the BJP’s allegations, claiming instead that it was Congress leaders who were pushed and threatened by ruling party members. 

“I was trying to go inside but BJP MPs were trying to stop me; they pushed me away and threatened me. But we do not get affected by this jostling. This is Parliament and we have the right to go inside,” he said.

The BJP, however, accused Mr Gandhi of deliberately pushing an “aged parliamentarian,” leading to Mr Sarangi’s injury.