Privilege notice versus privilege notice, as BJP retaliates to Opposition attack on Smriti Irani

The acrimony between government and Opposition is all set to intensify with notices seeking privilege motion against members for "misleading Parliament" flying across both Houses. Taking a retaliatory approach, BJP has sought privilege motion against Congress chief whip Jyotiraditya Scindia, after Opposition gave a similar notice against Union human resource development (HRD) minister Smriti Irani in Lok Sabha.

While the notice against Irani said she had misled Parliament on matters relating to Hyderabad University PhD scholar Rohith Vemula's death, the one against Scindia said he had misled the House by saying that labour minister Bandaru Dattatreya had called Vemula "casteist, extremist and anti-national". BJP MPs have also given notice for a privilege motion against Janata Dal (United) Rajya Sabha member KC Tyagi for claiming that this was the first time that police entered the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus. The BJP pointed out that besides during emergency, police had entered the campus in 1983, 1999 and 2009.

According to BJP sources, Dattatreya's letter did not mention Vemula and only said that Hyderabad University campus had become a den of "casteist, extremist and anti-national" politics.

Congress members were on their feet to protest Speaker Sumitra Mahajan allowing Dattatreya and other members to speak during the ruckus on their notice for privilege motion against Scindia, but preventing Mallikarjun Kharge from speaking on their privilege motion against Irani on misleading the House on how Rohith was not allowed medical help to save his life.

Accusing Scindia of "defaming him and tarnishing" his image, Dattatreya said "my mother used to sell onions. I have always worked for OBCs, dalits... I have made sacrifices for dalits."

The Speaker said both privilege motions of BJP and Congress members were under her consideration. The Rajya Sabha deputy chairman allowed Opposition leader Ghulam Nabi Azad read out a privilege motion against Irani and then said it was under the Chairman's consideration. Irani is also under Opposition attack for reading out from a Mahishasur pamphlet on Goddess Durga.

The AIADMK members, demanding action against Congress leader and P Chidambaram's son Karti for his reported involvement in Aircel-Maxis deal, disrupted proceedings of both Houses, which were to discuss the motion of thanks to the President's address. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi was slated to speak in Lok Sabha.

As the government-opposition standoff over JNU and Vemula issues continued, BJP fielded union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad to hold a press conference targeting Chidambaram on the Ishrat Jehan issue.