Dhankhar holds meeting with floor leaders over Rahul's 'democracy' remarks abroad

Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Tuesday held a meeting with floor leaders on the demand for action against Rahul Gandhi for his democracy in danger remarks abroad with the Opposition making it clear that it is not going to aid BJP's political ploy.

At the meeting, BJP representatives vociferously demanded action against Rahul, accusing him of insulting Parliament in London, but Congress and other parties objected to any such course.

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Dhankhar had called the meeting to finalise his ruling on a point of order raised by Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge that no allegation should be raised in Rajya Sabha against a member of another House while Congress MP Shaktisinh Gohil has submitted a breach of privilege notice against Leader of the House Piyush Goyal for making allegations against Rahul.

Sources said Congress Rajya Sabha Deputy Leader Pramod Tiwari referred to Rule 238(A) as well as remarks made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi abroad, which could be argued as insulting the country. He got support from other parties too with sources saying only BJP demanded action against Rahul.

CPI(M) floor leader Elamaram Kareem is learnt to have told the meeting that the BJP has turned the matter into a "political issue" and in such a scenario, others would have to counter it.

Objecting to the way a leader's name is dragged in with a political motive, sources said Kareem told the meeting that if the BJP was serious about raising the issue, it would have submitted a letter to the Chairman and sought his permission as per rules.

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He also said that the Prime Minister has also made some remarks abroad and the political differences cannot be put under the carpet. "The BJP is using it as a political tool," he said.

Sources said Dhankhar gave a patient hearing to the leaders and told him that he will take a decision soon.

In Rajya Sabha, Dhankhar said that Kharge had raised a point of order and that he had interacted with the Leader of the Opposition as well as other senior members of Congress and treasury benches.

"This is a very critical issue. We are required to give a final view. Because this will define what we can debate and what we cannot define," he said.