- By Shubham Bajpai
- Tue, 10 Mar 2026 06:32 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday replied to the motion of removal of the Speaker in the Lok Sabha and accused the Opposition bench, especially the Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, of being "restless" and trying to go against the will of the people as they allegedly look to steal the Speaker's power for themselves.
Taking a jibe at Gandhi, Rijiju recalled the 2018 incident when Gandhi hugged Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha and later winked at his fellow MPs.
"I have never seen such a leader, who comes and hugs the prime minister, then goes back to his seat and winks at fellow party MPs ('aankh maarta hai'),” Rijiju said, speaking in Hindi.
Amid sloganeering from Opposition MPs, Minister Rijiju said that he has "no cure" if one believes themselves to be above the speaker in the House, referencing the previous statement of Rahul Gandhi.
"When you look at the Constitution and the rules of the House, no one has challenged any decision of the Speaker. That day, I was upset by the fact that the Opposition MP said that 'I do not need permission from anyone to speak in Parliament', which is on record. 'This is my right to speak in Parliament, our Leader of Opposition said. So I was thinking, there are many senior members in Congress, why did they not explain that in this House, PM, minister, LoP can be present, but one needs permission from the speaker to speak," Rijiju said in the House.
"You cannot do this, and then you say your microphone is not on. Without permission, if you consider yourself to be above the Speaker, I do not have the cure for that," the minister added.
Speaking about the Opposition's allegations that Om Biral has been "partial" in favour of the NDA by not allowing Opposition MPs to speak, Rijiju cited rules and said, "Another thing, in 115 (A) rule, there is a provision that whenever MPs give notice to speak, then every party gives such a notice. Even if a member on their own gives notice, they can speak. If one wants to catch the eyes of the Speaker, then a member can raise their hand to bring attention to themselves. The rule clearly states that the Speaker can give any member a chance to speak," he said.
Priyanka Gandhi, Congress's Wayanad MP and Rahul Gandhi's sister, responded to Rijiju's remarks, saying, "They are unable to digest what the Leader of Opposition (Rahul) says, because in the last 12 years (of Narendra Modi as PM), he is the only one who has refused to bow."
As the NDA had cited first PM Jawaharlal Nehru's defence of Speaker GV Mavalankar in the first-ever no-confidence motion, Priyanka jabbed at the Treasury Bench, saying, "They (BJP-led NDA government's MPs) say I keep smiling when they speak. I smile, I laugh because they are suddenly praising Jawaharlal Nehru — whom they otherwise abuse — for his speech when a motion was brought against the LS Speaker of the time (in the 1950s)".