Soon after the house met AIADMK members trooped near the speaker’s podium shouting slogans and demanding action in the Aircel-Maxis issue. They went back once Mahajan promised a discussion after Question Hour. The protest by the AIADMK members stalled House proceedings through the day.
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Minister of state for parliamentary affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said Irani had given a “befitting reply” to all the allegations made by the Opposition. Since the Speaker did not take notice to their demand, they stormed into the well raising slogans “we want privilege motion, dohari niti nahin chalegi(dual policy would not work), Smriti Irani ko barkhast karo(sack Smriti Irani)”.
Among the other NDA members who submitted privilege notices against Scindia were Prahlad Singh Patel, Ganesh Singh and Rakesh Singh _- all from the BJP – and Anupriya Patel (Apna Dal). BJP’s Chief Whip Arjun Ram Meghwal claims that the Congress MP wrongly alleged that Mr. Dattatreya had called Vemula as anti-national, casteist and extremist. Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad gave the notice, which was signed also by Sharad Yadav (JD[U]), Anand Sharma (Congress) and K T S Tulsi.
The Speaker relented after TMC leader Sudip Bandhyopadhyaya urged her to allow Congress members to speak on the matter.
Mahajan said she had allowed the members to speak only on their privilege motions. “I am saying this because you members are new to this house”. “Nothing will go on record”. So what is a privilege motion and in what situation is it moved and who can move it against who?
About her statement on Goddess Durga, it says, “The significantly false, fabricated and unauthenticated statement was made by the minister on the basis of reported, stamped documents received from JNU registrar, thereby trying to malign the image of JNU and made derogatory remarks about Goddess Durga”.
In the Lok Sabha, a privilege motion is moved under Rule No 222 in Chapter 20 of the Lok Sabha Rule Book.
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The issue also took a political turn with allegations that the extreme action was a result of discrimination against Dalit students after Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya had written a letter to Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani seeking action against their “anti-national acts”. Find us on Facebook too!
