Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Monday moved a privilege motion in the Rajya Sabha against Congress leaders Renuka Chowdhury and Jairam Ramesh for allegedly not allowing SAD member and Union Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal to speak in the House on Friday last.
The two Congress MPs denied the allegation and said they had only objected to the Minister raising the issue about a MP who was not a member of the House. They were referring to AAP member and lok Sabha member Bhagwant Mann’s video showing security apparatus of Parliament.
Raising the issue of the alleged spat between the Congress leaders and the Food Processing Minister Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa (SAD) demanded that the two should apologise for their behaviour or face privilege motion. He also said the Minister has the right to speak in any House.
As the two Congress members contested Dhindsa’s remarks, Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien said a minister or a member can speak only with the permission of the Chair. Giving the sequence of events that day, he said the Minister stood up requesting she be allowed to speak adding the House was in pandemonium at that time.
Kurien, who was in the Chair on Friday, said he first allowed introduction of a Private Member Bills and “so did not allow the Minister to speak”. He also said Kurien also said the privilege notice was now under the consideration of Chairman Hamid Ansari.