BJP moves privilege notice against Rahul over remarks on China
What's the story
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Nishikant Dubey has written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to initiate breach of privilege proceedings against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi after he claimed that Chinese troops were on Indian soil.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju accused Gandhi of lying and demanded proof to support his allegations.
The row was triggered after Gandhi's speech, during which he criticized the Modi government's 'Make in India' initiative and linked its alleged failure to China's purported territorial presence.
Speech details
Gandhi's allegations and BJP's response
"The reason China is inside our territory is because 'Make in India' has failed. India is refusing to produce and I'm worried India to going to give up this revolution to the Chinese again," Gandhi claimed.
In his speech, Gandhi also expressed concerns over unemployment, alleging that India had outsourced production jobs to China.
He also alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent Foreign Minister S Jaishankar to the US several times to get Donald Trump's inauguration invitation.
Motion proposal
BJP MP urges privilege motion against Gandhi
Both Rijiju and Jaishankar have refuted these allegations, with the latter saying no such invitation was discussed and India is usually represented by special envoys at such events.
In his letter to Birla, Dubey alleged that Gandhi was "distorting facts" and tarnishing India's image.
Dubey alleged that Gandhi spread misinformation and tried to destabilize the country.
"This erudite person has neither authenticated his gibberish canards nor apologized for using the forum of Parliament to defame the country," he said.
Historical critique
Gandhi's criticism extends to BJP's historical narratives
A breach of privilege notice can be invoked against members who misuse their rights or mislead parliament.
Dubey further urged the Speaker to initiate privilege proceedings against Gandhi on an urgent basis.
"I wish to emphasize that since Parliament records and proceedings are the testimony to his instant callous and irresponsible attitude...Rahul Gandhi may also be reprimanded in the current session...by way of a motion in terms of relevant provisions of the rules of procedure," said the BJP MP.