'Will decide on privilege or ethics panel after Speaker's nod': Modi-govt drops planned motion against Rahul Gandhi

The government on Friday withdrew its proposed Motion against Rahul Gandhi over his use of an unpublished memoir of former Army Chief General M.M. Naravane and remarks made during his Budget speech, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said.

Speaking to reporters, Rijiju noted that the decision followed a Substantive Motion moved in the Lok Sabha by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey against the Leader of the Opposition. With that Motion now before the House, the government’s own proposal stood dropped, he said.

Rijiju added that once the Substantive Motion is admitted, the government will consult Om Birla on whether the matter should be referred to the Privilege Committee, the Ethics Committee, or taken up directly in the House. “Any MP can bring a Motion,” he said. “After it is admitted, we will decide the next step.”

The confrontation stems from Rahul Gandhi’s recent intervention in Parliament, where he quoted excerpts from an unpublished book by the former Army Chief, prompting a ruling from the Speaker barring the use of unpublished material. Gandhi had also sharply criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that he had “sold the country and farmers”. The Congress leader later said he would not “step back even an inch” even if a privilege motion was moved against him.

Meanwhile, Dubey escalated his accusations, writing to the Speaker seeking the creation of a Parliamentary Inquiry Committee to probe what he termed Gandhi’s “unethical conduct.” In his letter, he alleged that Gandhi was part of a “Thuggery gang” working to destabilise the country from within. He further claimed that Gandhi was associated with the Ford Foundation and accused the organisation of funding his foreign travel.

Dubey reiterated these allegations on X, describing Gandhi as the “ringleader of the tukde-tukde gang” and questioning whether he was “planning India’s partition for the sake of gaining power.” He also shared documents he said supported his accusations.