Congress Moves Privilege Motion Against PM Modi for Endorsing Anurag Thakur’s ‘Caste’ Remark

New Delhi: Congress MP Charanjit Singh Channi on Tuesday moved a Privilege Motion against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of sharing expunged portions of BJP MP Anurag Thakur’s controversial remarks about Rahul Gandhi on social media.

Channi’s complaint to the Lok Sabha Secretary General highlighted “many objectionable remarks” made by Thakur during a recent Parliament session. These remarks were later expunged from the official record by Congress MP Jagdambika Pal, who was presiding over the session.

Despite this, PM Modi posted Thakur’s full speech on X, calling it a “must hear” and praising it as a “perfect mix of facts and humour” that exposed the politics of the INDI Alliance.

This speech by my young and energetic colleague, Shri @ianuragthakur is a must hear. A perfect mix of facts and humour, exposing the dirty politics of the INDI Alliance. https://t.co/4utsqNeJqp

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 30, 2024

The Congress party was quick to rebuke the Prime Minister for what they called a “serious breach of parliamentary privilege.” Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh described Thakur’s speech as a “highly abusive and unconstitutional tirade.”

Thakur’s remarks, which implied a reference to Rahul Gandhi’s caste, sparked protests from the opposition during a discussion on the Union Budget. Thakur stated, “The one whose caste is not known is talking about the census,” prompting Rahul Gandhi to accuse him of insult and abuse, though Gandhi said he would not seek an apology.

The controversy continued into the next day, causing uproar in the Lok Sabha as opposition members demanded an apology from Thakur. This led to multiple adjournments as Congress, DMK, Samajwadi Party, and Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs protested in the well of the House.