New Delhi:
In what could escalate the row over BJP leader Anurag Thakur’s caste remark against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, the main opposition has filed a complaint against Prime Minister Narendra Modi for praising Thakur for his speech. Jalandhar MP and former Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi has filed a complaint with the secretary general of the Lok Sabha.
Mr Channi in his letter had said that “certain objectionable remarks” made by Mr Thakur had been deleted from the minutes of the House. “However, it is shocking to note that these deleted remarks were tweeted by the Prime Minister on X along with the video of the entire speech. Besides, other objectionable deleted words in the speech were also tweeted as laid down in the Practice and Procedure of Parliament by Kaul & Shakdher,” he had said.
Mr Channi told NDTV that deleted comments cannot be repeated publicly. “But the Prime Minister made them public by tweeting,” he said. On the BJP's claim that the comments were not deleted when the Prime Minister tweeted, he said, “They were deleted directly in the House.”
Amid the row over the five-time MP's remark, the Prime Minister shared a video of Mr Thakur's speech on X and said it is a “must hear”. “This speech by my young and energetic colleague, Shri @ianuragthakur is a must hear. A perfect blend of facts and humour, exposing the dirty politics of the INDI Alliance,” he said.
This speech by my young and energetic colleague, Shri @ianuragthakur is a must-hear. A perfect mix of facts and humor, exposing the dirty politics of the INDI Alliance. https://t.co/4utsqNeJqp
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 30, 2024
The Congress reacted sharply, saying the prime minister had encouraged a “serious breach of parliamentary privilege” by publishing the speech. The Congress described the speech as a “highly offensive and unconstitutional tirade”.
Mr Thakur's remarks against Mr Gandhi drew a sharp reaction from the Opposition benches yesterday. Senior Congress MP Jagdambika Pal, who was in the chair, had assured that the remarks would be deleted. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said that while deleted remarks are cut from videos uploaded online, Sansad TV had uploaded the unedited speech in this case. “This is a new and shameful low in the annals of India's parliamentary history. It reflects on the BJP-RSS and Mr Modi's deep-rooted caste system,” he alleged.
Anurag Thakur, a five-time MP from Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh, was speaking during the debate on Budget 2024 when he launched a personal attack on Mr Gandhi, drawing a sharp response from the Opposition benches. The Leader of the Opposition interrupted him and said he should be given a chance to respond as Mr Thakur had insulted him. “You can insult me as much as you want, do it every day. But remember that we (the Opposition) will get the (caste census) bill passed here (in Parliament),” Mr Gandhi said.
