Congress on warpath with Modi govt; serves notice against Rajnath

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By Our Special Correspondent

New Delhi, March 22: Sensing Budget session adjournment sine die soon, Congress on Wednesday stepped up offensive against the government by moving a breach of privilege notice against deputy leader of the Lok Sabha and Union Minister for Defence Rajnath Singh, accusing him of defaming former party chief Rahul Gandhi.

Congress has already given similar notice against Prime Minister Narendra Modi for making defamatory statements against Jawaharlal Nehru on the floor of the Rajya Sabha. Congress offensive on Wednesday is being seen in the political circle as sign of a complete breakdown of communication channel between the government and the Opposition party, which shuts out scope of normal business of Parliament for the remaining days in the ongoing Budget session.

Congress MP Manickam Tagore gave notice under Rule 223 of the code of business of the House to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, alleging that Singh violated rules of the House by making defamatory allegations against Gandhi without providing sources of his insinuating charges. Tagore also included an excerpt of the speech of Singh made in the Lok Sabha wherein he had charged that “Gandhi tried to defame India in his speeches in London where he claimed that democracy in the country is in shambles and the outside forces should come to rescue the democratic norms”.

Tagore stressed in his notice that Singh neither disclosed sources of his information on the basis of which he made the defamatory statements against Gandhi nor he provided documentary evidences to substantiate his charges against the Congress leader. The rules of the business of the House mandate that charges levelled by one member against a fellow member must be substantiated and evidences given to the Chair.

With the Lok Sabha passing the Jammu and Kashmir Appropriation Bill within minutes amid, indications are ample the demands for grants will also be given the nod of the lower House through guillotine, clubbing all the proposals together and passing them by voice votes, in the next few days before the Budget session of Parliament is adjourned sine die.

Congress offensive against the Narendra Modi led government at the Centre is being seen part of the strategy of the party to aggressively sell Brand Rahul Gandhi to capture the anti-BJP political space, which is currently split among several regional parties. Congress offensive is also a precursor to party’s aggressive campaign in the states after the Budget session as follow up measures for the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’.