Opposition ups ante, to bring privilege motion against Smriti Irani

Congress along with CPI(M) and JD(U) accuse Ms. Irani of “wilfully misleading” Parliament during a debate on JNU and Hyderabad University controversies.

Major opposition parties on Saturday said they will bring privilege motion against HRD Minister Smriti Irani over her remarks in Parliament on the suicide of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula in Hyderabad Central University.

Congress along with CPI(M) and JD(U) accused Ms. Irani of “wilfully misleading” Parliament during a debate on JNU and Hyderabad University controversies.

“The HRD Minister has not only been economical with truth but has also wilfully misled Parliament on the unfortunate suicide of Rohith Vemula,” Congress leaders Mukul Wasnik and Selja alleged.

Wasnik told reporters that the Congress planned to bring privilege motion in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha soon, while CPI(M) leader Mohd. Saleem said he would be doing so on Monday.

“I will be giving a notice for breach of privilege against Ms. Irani to Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan for misleading the House on Rohith Vemula issue,” Mr. Saleem said.

JD(U) leader K.C. Tyagi said that he and nominated member K.T.S. Tulsi will give privilege notice against Ms. Irani to Chairman Hamid Ansari on Monday.

“There are contradictions in many statements of Ms. Irani regarding Rohith Vemula case. This is a fit case of breach of privilege,” Mr. Tyagi said.

They cited the outburst of Radhika, Rohith’s mother, against the HRD Minister and accused the BJP of being anti-Dalit.

Ms. Radhika had attacked the HRD Minister questioning as to on what basis did she declare Rohith to be anti-national?

“Your Ministry had written that my son Rohith and other Dalit students were anti-national extremists. You said that he is not a Dalit. You accused him of getting a false certificate.”

They alleged that these strong words from a mother “who has lost her son to BJP and in particular the HRD Minister’s campus politics is a stamp of how recklessly and ruthlessly their party is hell bent on clamping down the voices of dissent.”