Congress MP Manickam Tagore has filed a Notice of Question of Privilege in the Lok Sabha against Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, accusing him of misleading the House on March 24.
Tagore alleged that Rijiju made false statements regarding Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, which he believes amounts to a breach of privilege and contempt of the House.
In his notice, Tagore stated: “I hereby give notice of a question of privilege against Kiren Rijiju, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, for blatantly misleading the House on 24 March 2025, in terms of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Lok Sabha.”
He further accused Rijiju of attributing false and derogatory statements to DK Shivakumar, which Shivakumar himself has refuted.
“Making false and misleading statements in the House is a breach of privilege and contempt. I request that privilege proceedings be initiated against Kiren Rijiju in this matter,” the notice added.
Speaking outside Parliament, Tagore criticized the Parliamentary Affairs Minister:
“Being the Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Kiren Rijiju should not have made such misleading claims. This is a valid reason for a breach of privilege. I hope the privilege committee takes action. Though, as of now, no privilege committee has been set up in the Lok Sabha.”
The controversy erupted after Rijiju sought clarification from Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on the party’s stance regarding reservation for Muslims. Rijiju claimed that Shivakumar’s remarks on the Constitution were “extremely serious.”
The issue led to adjournments in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on Monday, with BJP leaders—including Kiren Rijiju and Union Health Minister JP Nadda—demanding answers from Congress over Shivakumar’s purported statements.
Meanwhile, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh also submitted a breach of privilege notice to Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar against Rijiju for allegedly misleading the House.
Responding to the controversy, DK Shivakumar accused the BJP of twisting his words and said he is consulting legal experts over the matter.
“There is no hide and seek in this issue. Several judgments have been passed on reservation, and amendments have been made to the Constitution accordingly. BJP is simply twisting my remarks because they have no real issues to discuss,” he said.
Shivakumar welcomed Jairam Ramesh’s privilege motion and indicated that he too is considering legal action.
