
Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Feb 3: The two former Congress presidents, Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi, are facing privilege motions for their remarks outside and inside Parliament demanding “exemplary disciplinary action” against them.
While a group of BJP members on Monday moved a moved a breach of parliamentary privilege notice against Mrs Gandhi alleging use of “derogatory and slanderous words” to describe President Droupadi Murmu as she addressed a joint session of Parliament last week, the BJP leaders said a privilege motion against Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, would be a filed in a day or two for his “misleading” remarks in the Lok Sabha on Monday regarding the India-China border dispute, EAM S. Jaishankar’s recent visit to the United States, and the Maharashtra elections.
The BJP in its privilege motion against Ms Sonia Gandhi said her comments were meant to “lower the dignity of the highest office.” “We write this with great dismay about certain unparliamentary, derogatory, and demeaning remarks recently made by Sonia Gandhi, Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha), against the President of India, which warrant serious consideration and disciplinary action,” the notice said.
“It is with deep concern we highlight this statement… which appears to demean the stature and dignity of the President of India, the highest Constitutional authority of our nation.”
“Such remarks not only undermine the dignity of the office but also violate the sanctity of parliamentary conventions,” the BJP MPs said in their letter to Rajya Sabha Chair Jagdeep Dhankhar.
Ms Gandhi’s remark, they argued, “in no way get the benefit of parliamentary privileges,” citing a Supreme Court judgement that said abuse of privilege by an MP was “difficult to digest.”
“Furthermore, even the Parliamentary Ethics and Code of Conduct prescribes that no member utter defamatory words against others… this assumes significance when it concerns the President of India, and that too, when spoken about within the Parliamentary premises.”
The remarks, they further argued, were “a clear manifestation of the elitist and anti-tribal mindset of Ms Gandhi, who is yet to understand the struggle and sensitivity of a tribal poor.” “Given the gravity of this issue, we humbly urge you to take cognisance and initiate appropriate disciplinary action against Sonia Gandhi,” the BJP MPs wrote, calling for “exemplary action.”
On Friday, after President Murmu’s long address to the Joint Session of Parliament to open the Budget session, Ms Gandhi used the phrase “poor thing” to describe her noting that the President seemed to be getting very tired, and said, “…by the end she could hardly speak, the poor thing.”
Ms Murmu’s office reacted sharply to the comment, calling them “unfortunate and entirely avoidable,” in “poor taste”, and said they had “hurt the dignity of the high office.” Ms Murmu’s office also dismissed fears about the President’s health.
The remark was condemned by the BJP led by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On X he said the remarks were “in poor taste (and) entirely avoidable”, and mocked Ms Gandhi (whom he referred to as “a member of a royal family”), saying the remark had also insulted tribal communities.
About Rahul Gandhi’s address in the Lok Sabha on the Motion of Thanks to the President for her address, the Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju stated that the Congress leader tried to “damage the country’s image, the respect for the Prime Minister’s chair, and the dignity of Parliament.”
Gandhi pressed on the India-China border issue, declaring that Beijing was now “sitting on over 4,000 sq km of our land.” He also claimed the Army had contradicted Mr Modi’s assertion that no land had been surrendered to China. On External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s recent visit to the US for President Donald Trump’s inauguration, Gandhi said he had to be sent to the US to get an invitation for PM Modi.
In response to the Congress leader, Rijiju said, “How can he say that? The Prime Minister and the entire governance system are one. Rahul Gandhi’s claim that the army chief contradicted the PM’s statement should be challenged.”
He further stated that BJP MPs will either ask Gandhi to provide proof for the claims he made in the Lok Sabha or the party will move a privilege motion against him. Earlier in the day, Mr Rijiju had confronted Gandhi in Parliament accusing the Congress leader of peddling false narratives. “How can you say this… you are speaking lies,” the Union Minister said while objecting to Gandhi’s remarks.
The Foreign Minister S Jaishankar also rejected the charge that he was sent “three-four times to get an invite” for Prime Minister” Narendra Modi, as alleged by Rahul Gandhi in parliament, for Donald Trump’s inauguration as US president.
“Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi deliberately spoke a falsehood about my visit to the US in December 2024. I went to meet the Secretary of State and NSA of the Biden Administration. Also to chair a gathering of our Consuls General. During my stay, the incoming NSA-designate met with me,” S Jaishankar posted on X.
“At no stage was an invitation in respect of the PM discussed. It is common knowledge that our PM does not attend such events. In fact, India is generally represented by Special Envoys,” said the Minister.
The Minister accused the Congress leader of hurting the nation’s image abroad with such comments. “Rahul Gandhi’s lies may be intended politically. But they damage the nation abroad,” the Minister said.
Mr Modi was seated in the House when Mr Gandhi was making the controversial comments. “When we talk to the United States, we would not send the foreign minister three-four times to get an invite for our Prime Minister because if we had a production system and we were working on these technologies, the US president would come here and invite the Prime Minister,” Mr Gandhi had said.
The BJP MPs led by Mr Rijiju strongly objected to the remark and said the Opposition leader cannot make such unsubstantiated statements linked to the country’s foreign policy.
“The Leader of the Opposition cannot make such serious, unsubstantiated statements. This is about the relationship between two countries. He is making unverified statements about the invitation to our Prime Minister,” said Mr Rijiju.
“He should be responsible. If the Leader of the Opposition has the information, he must tell the House who has told him that the Foreign Minister visited for this purpose,” he said, demanding proof.
Last Monday, Mr Modi spoke to Mr Trump on phone and congratulated his “dear friend on his historic second term.” The Prime Minister underscored that New Delhi remains committed to a “mutually beneficial and trusted partnership” with Washington.
Donald Trump’s inauguration as the 47th US President was held on January 20 which was attended by Mr Jaishankar as India’s representative.