Privilege Motion vs Privilege Motion in Lok Sabha as BJP hits back at Scindia

In the Lok Sabha, the BJP strategically fielded its own chief whip — Arjun Ram Meghwal, a Dalit — to briefly dwell on the notice against Scindia. The notice carried the names of Meghwal, Dattatreya, Rakesh Singh, Ajay Tamta, Anupriya Patel (Apna Dal), Janardhan Mishra, Ganesh Singh and Prahland Singh Patel. Meghwal accused Scindia of misleading the House on February 24 by alleging during a discussion that Dattatreya had called Rohith “anti-national, casteist and extremist”. He maintained that Dattatreya had only received a letter, which he forwarded (to the Ministry of HRD).

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Speaker Sumitra Mahajan called upon Meghwal to speak after noon while the AIADMK was staging a loud protest in the well against against alleged corruption by Karti Chidambaram. After Meghwal had finished, Dattatreya got up to speak. “Jyotiraditya Scindia has tarnished my image,” he said. “… In the letter I had written to the HRD Ministry, I had never mentioned the name of Rohith.” He added: “I come from the OBC class. I am from a poor family.”

Contending he had been defamed, he said, “In my whole life, I have committed myself for the cause of Dalits… I have worked for OBCs… I have always stood for Dalits… My mother used to sell onions… I have come from that phase of life… But he has tarnished my 30 years of service, as if I have done something to him and to Dalits… I have made sacrifices for the cause of Dalits… Madam, I am expressing it with pain… I want that the motion should be accepted.”

As Meghwal and Dattatreya held forth, Congress members, who were already upset that the AIADMK had shifted the focus from Smriti to Karti Chidambaram, made a dash to the well. They demanded that the Speaker decide on their privilege notice .

Meanwhile, leader of the Congress Mallikarjun Kharge, goaded by Sonia Gandhi, stood up to say something, prompting the AIADMK to raise a louder din. Some AIADMK members hurriedly gathered in front of Kharge to block his view.

Congress whip K C Venugopal came into well and started waving the rulebook. “Don’t show me the rulebook,” Mahajan told him.

Venugopal’s party colleague Ranjeet Ranjan could be seen speaking loudly in the well, but what he was saying was drowned in the AIADMK din.

Mahajan said, “Some members sought to raise the matter by way of notices… I had already observed yesterday that the matter was under my consideration. Whatever privilege notices I have received, they are under my consideration.”

The Speaker’s allusion was to the issue of a privilege motion against Smriti, which had led to a brief Opposition uproar in the Lok Sabha Monday before Finance Minister Arun Jaitley started reading his budget speech. It was the turn of the Congress now to borrow from the AIADMK slogans and chant: “We want justice.”

Amid the chaotic scenes in the well, the Speaker adjourned the House, this time until 2 pm.