The Opposition and the BJP are engaged in a war over privilege motions. While a combined Opposition has moved privilege motion against HRD Minister Smirit Irani in both the Houses for “misleading” the House on the Rohith Vemula issue, the BJP has questioned Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia’s statements against Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya.
Opposition cries foul In Rajya Sabha, the Opposition has moved a 10-point notice against Irani. They said the Minister quoted fabricated documents, without any authenticity, to put forth her case on the Vemula issue. The Opposition said in the notice that she denied to place it in the House and neither revealed the source of the documents.
The Opposition said the statements were unparliamentary and sensational. “The Ministers are not permitted to refer to unauthorised documents, nor can they refer to documents without placing them on the Table of the House,” the Opposition MPs argued. The Congress, Left, JD (U) and BSP (Bahujan Samaj Party) members have moved separate privilege motions against Irani.
“We have asked Vice President Hamid Ansari to take a look at the privilege motion. It is important that action must be taken to avoid such incidents in the future,” said D Raja, Member of Parliament, Communist Party of India.
The BSP said in a statement that Rohith Vemula’s mother and brother had told party chief Mayawati that the Minister lied to Parliament.
“We have moved a privilege motion against Irani for repeatedly making false statements in the House,” the statement added.
The motion by Congress MPs added that there was no Dalit member in the Executive Council of Hyderabad University that took action against Vemula. “It is extremely distressful that the Honourable Minister should make statements which are contrary to the record of the University. It would be important for an independent enquiry to take into custody, the entire original record, so that the truth can be established,” the Congress’s motion said.
BJP targets Scindia In Lok Sabha, the BJP’s Chief Whip Arjun Ram Meghwal said he and many other members, including Dattatreya, had given a notice of breach of privilege against Scindia for “misleading” the House.
They alleged that Scindia accused Dattatreya of having an anti-Dalit mindset. “My mother used to sell onions. I have always worked for OBCs, Dalits... I have made sacrifices for Dalits,” Dattatreya said, countering the charges against him.