'We are ready': Congress challenges BJP's motion against Rahul Gandhi
What's the story
Congress MP K C Venugopal has defended his party leader Rahul Gandhi after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Nishikant Dubey submitted a substantive motion against the LoP. He said the Congress is ready to face any such motion and will continue raising issues in Parliament. "We are ready to face privilege motion," Venugopal told reporters, adding that when they tried to cancel Gandhi's membership last time, he received more votes than Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the public.
Chair pressure
Venugopal accuses govt of pressuring parliamentary chair
Venugopal accused the government of pressuring the parliamentary chair to not allow opposition members to speak. He said, "Continuously, we have been complaining that we are not getting justice from the Chair." The Congress MP also alleged that what Gandhi said was expunged from records due to this pressure. On Wednesday, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju had also announced that the government will move a privilege notice against Gandhi for "misleading the House" with "baseless allegations."
Expunging demand
Rijiju demands expunging of Gandhi's remarks
Rijiju had demanded that whatever "lies" Gandhi spoke should be expunged from the records. "Rahul Gandhi has made useless and false allegations against the government and the Prime Minister, claiming that the Prime Minister has sold India and Indian interests. On what basis? He has also made serious allegations against Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri without giving any notice," Rijiju said.
Trade criticism
Gandhi slams India-US trade deal
In his speech, Gandhi had slammed the government over the India-US interim trade agreement, accusing it of compromising national interests. He asked if they were "not ashamed of selling India" and stressed that India's energy security should be protected. The Congress leader emphasized that if the INDIA bloc were negotiating with US President Donald Trump, they'd prioritize Indian data's importance and seek equal treatment.
Security emphasis
'They are choking PM'
He alleged that this deal harmed farmers' interests as cheaper US agricultural products would flood Indian markets. He also said key domestic sectors such as textiles have been "finished" by government policies. "You know why he sold India? Because they are choking him. They have got a grip on his neck... We can see fear in the eyes of the Prime Minister. There are two things- first, Epstein. 3 million files are still locked up" he said.