Congress Moves Privilege Motion against PM Modi for Sharing BJP MP Anurag Thakur’s Expunged Remarks

The Congress on Wednesday moved a Privilege Motion against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of breaching parliamentary rules. The motion alleges that PM Modi violated parliamentary privilege by sharing on social media “a portion of remarks that had been expunged from the proceedings of the House by the Chair.” These remarks were part of a speech delivered by BJP leader Anurag Thakur during a Lok Sabha debate about a caste census.

Charanjit Singh Channi, the Jalandhar MP and former Punjab Chief Minister, moved the motion under rule 222, which permits members to raise privilege issues with the Speaker’s consent. In his letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Channi detailed that on July 30, 2024, Thakur’s objectionable remarks were expunged by the Speaker. Channi expressed astonishment that Modi had shared these expunged remarks on his social media platform, along with the complete video of Thakur’s speech.

Taking to social media platform “X”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded BJP MP Anurag Thakur, stating that his speech exposes “the dirty politics of the INDI Alliance.” “This speech by my young and energetic colleague, Shri @ianuragthakur is a must hear. A perfect mix of facts and humour, exposing the dirty politics of the INDI Alliance,” posted the Prime Minister.

Channi’s letter cited parliamentary procedures, noting that the publication of expunged remarks constitutes a breach of privilege. He quoted the Practice and Procedure of Parliament by Kaul & Shakdher (7th Edition), which states, “The effect in law of an order of the Speaker expunging words, remarks or a portion of the proceedings is as if those words/remarks or that portion of the proceedings had never been spoken. Publication of the expunged words or expressions would amount to a breach of privilege.”

The Congress MP from Jalandhar requested Speaker Birla to admit the motion and initiate privilege proceedings against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Lok Sabha session was disrupted by Opposition protests, with members demanding an apology from Thakur and chanting “We Want Caste Census.” Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju accused the Congress of attempting to divide the country.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Rajya Sabha. “In Parliament, you don’t ask anyone’s caste. This has been done deliberately to insult. Even the Prime Minister should not support such indecent things,” said Kharge.

During a debate on caste census in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, Anurag Thakur, the BJP MP from Hamipur hit out at Congress MP Rahul Gandhi. "The prince from this party will now be lecturing us? First, he has to understand what LoP stands for - it is the Leader of the Opposition and not Leader of Propaganda. All I want to say is that he should stop spreading lies. There is a lot of talk about OBC and caste census. He whose caste is unknown is talking about a census?" said Anurag Thakur on the floor of the house. Rahul Gandhi responded by accusing Thakur of insulting him but stated he did not seek an apology from the BJP MP. "You can insult me as much as you like, but we will get the bill passed in the Parliament,” said Rahul Gandhi.