'Openly threatened me...': Moitra accuses Rijiju of violating parliamentary rules
What's the story
Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra has filed a complaint with the Inter-Parliamentary Union against Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju.
She accused him of threatening her during a Lok Sabha debate on the Indian Constitution.
The incident was triggered by Moitra's controversial remarks on Judge BH Loya's death.
Despite Speaker Om Birla's indication to expunge Rijiju's comments from the record, no action has been taken so far, she said.
Heated exchange
Rijiju's response to Moitra's remarks
During the debate, Moitra compared Justice HR Khanna's 1976 dissent to Judge Loya's untimely demise.
Rijiju hit back, saying Moitra raised an issue that was already settled by the Supreme Court.
He warned her of consequences in the Parliament, saying, "We will take appropriate parliamentary action. You cannot escape. You are setting a very wrong precedent."
This fiery exchange caused two adjournments of the session.
Twitter Post
Read Moitra's post here
So @KirenRijiju openly threatens me in Lok Sabha today in complete violation of parliamentary rules & procedure. @ombirlakota says he will get Rijiju’s words deleted but no action yet. Written to @IPUparliament against this continued gender harassment & intimidation yet again.
— Mahua Moitra (@MahuaMoitra) December 13, 2024
Parliamentary decorum
Opposition members object to Rijiju's language
Opposition members, including TMC's Saugata Roy and Congress's KC Venugopal, also raised their objections to Rijiju's language toward Moitra.
They emphasized that the Speaker has authority in the Lok Sabha and proper procedures should have been followed if there were concerns about Moitra's speech.
Venugopal demanded either an apology or removal of Rijiju's remarks, saying the minister should maintain order instead of intimidating a female member.