Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi lost his cool at a section of media persons on Thursday, as they questioned him about a possible privilege motion against him by the ruling party in the ongoing Budget session. Rahul, visibly agitated at the question, snapped at the scribes, asking, “Have you been given this code word for today”? In the same breadth, he asked them to “stay objective” in their work and uphold the sanctity of their profession.
On Wednesday, the Lok Sabha erupted in protest as Rahul Gandhi launched a scathing critique of the Modi government, accusing it of surrendering India and its people before foreign powers and also selling the Bharat Mata. Rahul’s fierce attack was met with protest from treasury benches, who objected to LoP’s “unparliamentary” language and demanded that his remarks be expunged from House proceedings.
Later, BJP lawmakers stated that the privilege motion will be brought against the LoP for "misleading" the House with “baseless and malicious” claims. Congress party, however, stood firm that no violation of Parliamentary norms took place as the LoP was well within the right to lambast the government and Prime Minister for “capitulating and surrendering” India’s energy and farmers’ interests in the India-US trade deal.
Today, as Rahul walked down to his car outside the Parliament complex, the scribes gathered around him to seek his reaction on the privilege motion being mulled against him. This apparently triggered him, and he asked the scribes, ”Is privilege the code work for today? Have you been given this word for today?”
Further lashing out at scribes, he said, “Yesterday the word was authentication, today it is privilege. You should try to do some objective stuff. You are not totally employed by the BJP; it gets really shameful.” “You are responsible people, you have media people, you have a responsibility to stay objective.
You are doing a disservice to this nation. Are you not able to recognize that?” he told them. There is yet no clarity, however, about treasury benches moving any motion against him. Top sources in the government said that a privilege motion is unlikely; however, a substantive motion may be brought against him.