In a development that could intensify the ongoing dispute over BJP leader Anurag Thakur’s controversial caste remark against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, the main opposition has filed a privilege complaint against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Jalandhar MP and former Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi has lodged a formal complaint with the Lok Sabha Secretary General.
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. https://t.co/4utsqNeJqp
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 30, 2024
In his complaint, Channi highlighted that “certain objectionable remarks” made by Thakur were expunged from the parliamentary proceedings. However, Channi expressed shock that these expunged parts were subsequently tweeted by the Prime Minister along with the full video of Thakur’s speech. Channi criticized Modi for publicizing the expunged remarks, arguing that they should not have been repeated or disseminated publicly, as per parliamentary practice.
Channi emphasized to NDTV that expunged remarks are not supposed to be publicly repeated. “But the Prime Minister publicized them by tweeting,” he said. Addressing the BJP’s argument that the remarks had not yet been expunged when the Prime Minister tweeted them, Channi countered that they were expunged immediately within the House.
The controversy began when Thakur, during a debate on Budget 2024, made personal attacks on Rahul Gandhi, which provoked a strong reaction from the Opposition. The Prime Minister later shared a video of Thakur’s speech on X (formerly Twitter), calling it a “must hear.” Modi described Thakur’s speech as a “perfect mix of facts and humour, exposing the dirty politics of the INDI Alliance.”
The Congress party has sharply criticized the Prime Minister, accusing him of encouraging a “serious breach of parliamentary privilege” by sharing the speech, which they deemed a “highly abusive and unconstitutional tirade.”
The remarks by Thakur had sparked significant outrage among the Opposition benches. Senior Congress MP Jagdambika Pal, who was presiding over the session, assured that the comments would be expunged. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh condemned the situation, noting that while expunged comments are usually removed from online videos, Sansad TV had uploaded the unedited speech. “This is a new and shameful low in the annals of India’s parliamentary history. It reflects the BJP-RSS and Mr. Modi’s deep-rooted casteism,” Ramesh alleged.
Anurag Thakur, a five-time MP from Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh, faced criticism from the Opposition during his speech. Gandhi responded to the personal attacks by asserting, “You can insult me as much as you want, do it every day. But don’t forget that we (the Opposition) will get the Bill (on Caste Census) passed here (in Parliament).”
The escalating row over the remarks and the subsequent handling by the Prime Minister has further heated the debate, adding another layer of complexity to the ongoing political conflict.
