Privilege Notice Filed Against Rahul Gandhi after Budget and US Trade Deal Attack

BJP members in the Lok Sabha to file a privilege notice against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on February 11, for allegedly misleading the House and making baseless statements.

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has been sent with a notice by the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) to resign from the Parliament today, the leader will be dismissed for the entire no-privilege motion. The action was taken a day after the Congress MP attacked the Union Budget and the trade agreement between the US and India in his address.

During his speech on Wednesday, Gandhi discussed the trade agreement with the United States, artificial intelligence, and geopolitical war. After he brought up the unpublished memoir of former Army Chief General MM Naravane, the Opposition protested for days before he could speak.

Gandhi claimed that the India-US trade agreement was a "wholesale surrender" in which India's energy security was given to America and the farmers' interests were compromised, and added that the government had "sold Bharat Mata" in the Union Budget discussion. He claimed that an Indian bloc administration would have advised US President Donald Trump to treat India equally if it had been involved in the trade negotiations.

Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs of India, Kiren Rijiju claimed Gandhi made baseless and false statements against the government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing them of selling India and its interest in the US trade agreement. He also claimed that the Leader of the Opposition made a severe charge against Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, using his name without prior knowledge. He added that it was a serious breach of privilege and that they are going to file a privilege notice against Rahul Gandhi for misleading the House and making baseless statements.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman responded to the Lok Sabha's discussion of the Union Budget by claiming that the Congress had sold off the nation, the poor, and farmers, but that its members were now blaming Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The 65-day budget session ends on April 2 and consists of 30 sittings. To allow the Standing Committees to review the Demands for Grants from various ministries and departments, the two Houses will have a recess on February 13 and meet again on March 9.