BJP MP Anurag Thakur has given notice of breach of privilege and contempt of the House against Rahul Gandhi. It is alleged that Rahul used unparliamentary words like ‘fool’ and ‘blind devotee’ in the Lok Sabha and repeated them despite warning.
New Delhi [भारत]July 30 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Anurag Singh Thakur on Thursday served a notice of breach of privilege and contempt of the House against Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi for using unparliamentary remarks during the July 29 proceedings.
In his notice submitted under Rule 222 along with Rule 223 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Lok Sabha, Thakur alleged that Rahul Gandhi used “unparliamentary and derogatory language” while addressing the House and repeated the comments despite being warned by the Speaker.
What are unparliamentary and derogatory words?
The notice read, “Use of unparliamentary and abusive language (violation of Rule 352): During his address to the House, Rahul Gandhi, while describing an alleged conversation he had with a student, divided individuals into three categories, ‘student’, ‘fool’ and ‘blind devotee’, the latter two used to refer to citizens and, apparently, to political opponents and supporters of the government.” This was immediately objected to by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, Who demanded to remove these words from the proceedings of the House, calling them unparliamentary. But even after being warned by the Speaker, Rahul Gandhi repeated these words.
Which rules were violated?
He alleged that these comments violated Rule 352(ii), which prohibits a member from making personal references, including those that question the intentions of any person or cast doubt on his authenticity, unless it is strictly necessary for the debate; Rule 352(iii), which prohibits objectionable expressions; and Rule 352(vii), which prohibits defamatory words against a person or class of persons.
“Calling a section of citizens ‘fools’ and ‘blind devotees’ on the floor of the House is objectionable, insulting and demeans the dignity of Parliament, which amounts to contempt of the House,” the notice said.
comment outside the scope of debate
Thakur also alleged that the comments made by Rahul Gandhi were beyond the scope of the subject of the debate and violate the convention contained in Rule 352(viii), which prohibits the use of the right of speech for purposes extraneous to or disruptive of the business before the House.
He said, “A member is required to confine his comments to the subject of discussion; narrating extraneous, provocative anecdotes to demean certain sections of the society is beyond the scope and is a misuse of the floor of the House.”
Accusing Amit Shah without notice
The BJP MP further accused Rahul Gandhi of making “serious and baseless allegations” against Union Home Minister Amit Shah without giving adequate advance notice as required under Rule 353.
“Rahul Gandhi, during his remarks, made serious and baseless allegations against Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah, without giving advance notice under Rule 353, and without providing any documentary evidence or reliable sources to prove the claims,” the notice said.
Thakur alleged that such conduct denied the Home Minister a fair opportunity to investigate and respond to the allegations.
He said, “By making serious allegations against the Home Minister without prior notice, Gandhi has deprived the Minister of a fair opportunity to be examined and respond, thereby violating both the letter and spirit of Rule 353, and raising questions about the propriety of the proceedings before this honorable House.”
Demand to send the matter to the Privileges Committee
In his notice, Thakur alleged that Rahul Gandhi has committed breach of privilege and contempt of the House by using derogatory words, making comments outside the scope of debate and making serious allegations against the Union Home Minister without the mandatory advance notice.
“He has conducted himself and behaved in the House in such a way that it was obstructive to the proper discharge of the functions of the House by the members of the Lok Sabha, individually and collectively. He also did not follow the repeated instructions of the Honorable Speaker of the House. Rahul Gandhi has committed breach of privilege of a member of the Lok Sabha, contempt of the Lok Sabha and complete disregard for the authority of the Speaker,” the notice said.
Thakur requested that the notice be admitted under Rule 222, the alleged objectionable comments be expunged from the proceedings under Rules 380 and 381, and the matter be referred to the Privileges Committee under Rule 227 for detailed investigation and appropriate action. He also demanded that Rahul Gandhi tender an unconditional apology to the House and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
“I will be available to furnish any additional details, including the official proceedings and video record of the House on July 29, 2026, as required by the Speaker or the Committee,” Thakur said in his motion notice. (ANI)
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