New Delhi: Senior Congress leader and Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday submitted a point-by-point rebuttal to the notices moved by BJP members against his remarks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the House.
He submitted his detailed response to the Lok Sabha Secretariat.
Gandhi had made the remarks against Modi on February 7 during a discussion on the 'Motion of Thanks on the President's Address'. Rahul Gandhi had spoken at length in Parliament about Modi's equation with Gautam Adani but the Prime Minister did not reply to the allegations.
The Lok Sabha Secretariat in a letter to Gandhi, dated February 10, had asked him to furnish his reply on breach of privilege notices against him by BJP MPs Nishikant Dubey and Pralhad Joshi - also the parliamentary affairs minister - by February 15 for the Lok Sabha speaker's consideration.
The BJP MPs had moved the notices on Gandhi's February 7 speech in which he commented on the Hindenburg-Adani issue.
A breach of privilege is a violation of any of the privileges of MPs/Parliament. Among other things, any action ‘casting reflections’ on MPs, parliament or its committees; could be considered breach of privilege. Punishment to the breach of privilege may start from a warning and may exceed up to imprisonment.
The sources said Gandhi has given a detailed reply running into several pages citing various laws and precedence, justifying his remarks made in Lok Sabha.
On Monday, addressing a gathering in Wayanad, his Lok Sabha constituency, Gandhi had criticised the decision to expunge several remarks from his speech made during the discussion in the House.
He had also said that he has "written to the speaker with every single point they have removed and supporting proof", adding that in his speech in the Lower House of Parliament, he did not use any bad or abusive language.
Both the BJP leaders in their notices to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla have alleged that Gandhi's comments were baseless and that he made "contemptuous, unparliamentary and dishonourable" allegations.
Several remarks made by Gandhi were expunged by the speaker following his speech.
Meanwhile, Gandhi told a public meeting in his constituency Wayanad on Monday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the last person he would be scared of.
"It doesn't matter if he has all the agencies with him, because the truth is not with him. One day he will have to face the truth," Rahul Gandhi said.
(With inputs from PTI and IANS.)
