TMC's Sagarika Ghose gives privilege motion notice against Rijiju, 60 Opposition MPs sign

Trinamool Congress' Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghose on Thursday submitted a privilege motion notice against Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju for making a derogatory remark against Opposition leaders in the Upper House. The notice had been signed by 60 leaders from Opposition parties, a source said.

“Yesterday in the House, addressing the Opposition, Mr Rijiju said you all are not worthy of being in this House... The Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Kiren Rijiju, instead of doing his best to run Parliament smoothly, has chosen to repeatedly insult the Opposition,” said Ghose.

“Rijiju has insulted Opposition members and used personal terms both inside and outside Parliament. This is totally unbecoming of the high office he holds and amounts to total misuse of his position,” TMC's deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha said.

She said she had moved a privilege motion against Rijiju for abusing his office with his “diatribes and unparliamentary language” against the Opposition. The motion had been signed by senior leaders of all Opposition parties, she added.

Opposition MPs were “not worthy of being in the House”, Rijiju said on Wednesday while hitting out at Opposition parties over their attacks on Vice-President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar. “If you cannot respect the chair, you have no right to be a member of this House,” Rijiju said.

Sixty MPs from the Opposition INDIA bloc on Tuesday submitted a notice in the Rajya Sabha for moving a no-confidence motion against Dhankhar. They have accused him of being “extremely partisan” in his role as the chairman of the Upper House.