Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Thursday dismissed a privilege notice filed by the Congress against Union Home Minister Amit Shah, stating that Shah’s remarks were backed by an authenticated government press release from 1948. Jagdeep Dhankhar emphasized that there was no violation or misrepresentation in the minister’s statement and urged the Ethics Committee to establish fresh guidelines for members to prevent misuse of privilege notices and premature media disclosures.
Jagdeep Dhankhar criticized the trend of rushing to the media with privilege notices even before they are reviewed, warning against attempts to tarnish reputations. He reiterated that the Rajya Sabha should not be a platform to defame individuals, emphasizing the importance of maintaining dignity and ethical conduct among members.
The Congress had submitted a privilege motion against Shah, alleging that he had deliberately made derogatory remarks about senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi during a discussion on the Disaster Management Bill 2024. Shah had claimed that, under the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) was controlled by one family, unlike the PM CARES fund, which is managed differently under the current administration.
Jagdeep Dhankhar, in his ruling, cited Congress’s Chief Whip Jairam Ramesh’s notice under Rule 188 of the Rajya Sabha’s procedural rules, which accused Shah of casting aspersions on Sonia Gandhi, who is a member of the Rajya Sabha and chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party. However, Jagdeep Dhankhar pointed out that Shah had referenced a January 24, 1948, government press release issued by the Press Information Bureau (PIB) to substantiate his statement.
Reading from the release, Jagdeep Dhankhar noted that it explicitly mentioned the composition of the PMNRF’s managing committee, which included the Prime Minister, the President of the Indian National Congress, and the Deputy Prime Minister, among others. He stated that the reference was factually correct and that there was no breach of privilege.
Expressing his disapproval of the increasing tendency to file privilege notices and release them to the media prematurely, Jagdeep Dhankhar referred to a 1998 report by the first Ethics Committee, chaired by former Maharashtra Chief Minister S.B. Chauhan. The report emphasized that parliamentarians must uphold the dignity of the legislature and maintain high moral standards in their conduct.
Jagdeep Dhankhar urged BJP MP Ghanshyam Tiwari, the current head of the Ethics Committee, to review the Chauhan Committee’s findings and formulate updated ethical guidelines, taking into account technological advancements and the role of social media in shaping public discourse.
