Kharge writes to Naidu for expunging remarks by Sitharaman, Goyal on Sonia in RS

By PTI

NEW DELHI: Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday wrote to Rajya Sabha chairman M Venkaiah Naidu, requesting him to expunge the remarks made by Union ministers Nirmala Sitharaman and Piyush Goyal on Sonia Gandhi within the House.

Kharge additionally demanded that the ministers ought to tender their apology for violating the conventions of the House.

His letter got here a day after Sitharaman and Goyal attacked Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury for his “rashtrapatni” comment whereas referring to President Droupadi Murmu.

Both the ministers additionally hit out at Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and demanded an apology from her.

In his letter, Kharge mentioned as per Parliamentary practices and conventions crucial remarks shouldn’t be made on the opposite House or members of the opposite House.

He additionally cited a ruling made by former RS Chairman R Venkataraman on April 15, 1987, whereby he noticed that “No person who is not a member of this House can be referred to in the House in a derogatory manner or in any other way affecting his reputation”.

The senior Congress chief mentioned even the query of privilege can’t be raised immediately in a single home in opposition to members of the opposite House.

In this regard, he mentioned, a process has been laid down based mostly on a report of Joint Sitting of Committees of Privileges of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha which was offered to each Houses on August 23, 1954 and later adopted by the Houses in December, 1954.

“As per this procedure, when a question of breach of privilege or contempt of the House is raised in either of the House in which a member, officer or servant of the other House is involved, the procedure followed is that the Presiding Officer of the House in which the question of privilege is raised, refers the case to the Presiding Officer of the other House”, Kharge mentioned.

He mentioned he talked about this process to stress the sanctity of sovereignty of every House of Parliament and its members.

“Hence mentioning and making remarks in regard to a member of the Lower House in the Upper House is a gross violation of the time-honoured conventions. Needless to mention, as Chairman of this august House, your good self would appreciate the need for adherence to well-established Parliamentary conventions and practices,” he mentioned.

“In view of my aforementioned submissions, I request you to kindly expunge the remarks made by Sitharaman and Goyal vis-a-vis Smt Sonia Gandhi in the House yesterday, 28 July, 2022. I also request that they tender their apology for their violation of sacrosanct conventions of the House,” Kharge mentioned in his letter.

On Thursday, the row over Chowdhury’s “rashtrapatni” comment escalated with the opposition celebration accusing BJP MPs of subjecting its president to “brutal heckling, verbal assault and physical intimidation” within the Lok Sabha.

Demanding an apology from the Congress president, the finance minister had mentioned Sonia Gandhi appointed Chowdhury because the chief in Lok Sabha to talk and he had insulted the President.

NEW DELHI: Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday wrote to Rajya Sabha chairman M Venkaiah Naidu, requesting him to expunge the remarks made by Union ministers Nirmala Sitharaman and Piyush Goyal on Sonia Gandhi within the House.

Kharge additionally demanded that the ministers ought to tender their apology for violating the conventions of the House.

His letter got here a day after Sitharaman and Goyal attacked Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury for his “rashtrapatni” comment whereas referring to President Droupadi Murmu.

Both the ministers additionally hit out at Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and demanded an apology from her.

In his letter, Kharge mentioned as per Parliamentary practices and conventions crucial remarks shouldn’t be made on the opposite House or members of the opposite House.

He additionally cited a ruling made by former RS Chairman R Venkataraman on April 15, 1987, whereby he noticed that “No person who is not a member of this House can be referred to in the House in a derogatory manner or in any other way affecting his reputation”.

The senior Congress chief mentioned even the query of privilege can’t be raised immediately in a single home in opposition to members of the opposite House.

In this regard, he mentioned, a process has been laid down based mostly on a report of Joint Sitting of Committees of Privileges of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha which was offered to each Houses on August 23, 1954 and later adopted by the Houses in December, 1954.

“As per this procedure, when a question of breach of privilege or contempt of the House is raised in either of the House in which a member, officer or servant of the other House is involved, the procedure followed is that the Presiding Officer of the House in which the question of privilege is raised, refers the case to the Presiding Officer of the other House”, Kharge mentioned.

He mentioned he talked about this process to stress the sanctity of sovereignty of every House of Parliament and its members.

“Hence mentioning and making remarks in regard to a member of the Lower House in the Upper House is a gross violation of the time-honoured conventions. Needless to mention, as Chairman of this august House, your good self would appreciate the need for adherence to well-established Parliamentary conventions and practices,” he mentioned.

“In view of my aforementioned submissions, I request you to kindly expunge the remarks made by Sitharaman and Goyal vis-a-vis Smt Sonia Gandhi in the House yesterday, 28 July, 2022. I also request that they tender their apology for their violation of sacrosanct conventions of the House,” Kharge mentioned in his letter.

On Thursday, the row over Chowdhury’s “rashtrapatni” comment escalated with the opposition celebration accusing BJP MPs of subjecting its president to “brutal heckling, verbal assault and physical intimidation” within the Lok Sabha.

Demanding an apology from the Congress president, the finance minister had mentioned Sonia Gandhi appointed Chowdhury because the chief in Lok Sabha to talk and he had insulted the President.