New Delhi (Agency): Manickam Tagore, a representative from the Tamil Nadu’s Virudhunagar in the Lok Sabha (the lower house of India’s Parliament), has put forward a “privilege motion” against Minister Shah. This motion suggests that the Minister might have broken some Parliamentary rules. Specifically, Tagore believes Shah misled the Parliament about assistance given to a widow named Kalavati Bandurkar from Maharashtra.
The background to this matter is a visit by Rahul Gandhi, another key Congress leader, in 2008. Rahul Gandhi went to Kalavati’s house, highlighting her struggles and the hardships faced by widows like her in Maharashtra’s Vidarbha region. Shah brought up this visit recently in Parliament, suggesting that the current government led by Prime Minister Modi had provided Kalavati with various facilities like a house, electricity, and gas.
However, Tagore’s claim is based on Kalavati’s own words. The widow reportedly told media channels that “the Modi government has not provided any such facilities for the past eight years instead Rahul Gandhi helped her in building her house.”
Tagore stated, “This discrepancy between the statement made by the Union Minister and the reality as communicated by the affected Kalavati raises serious doubts.” He feels that this situation might be a “breach of privilege under Rule 22, Chapter 20 of the Lok Sabha Rules.” In essence, Tagore believes that Shah did not uphold the responsibility to provide accurate and truthful information to the Parliament.
Manickam Tagore has now officially submitted a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla regarding this matter. In this letter, Tagore mentions, “I hope you would take cognizance of this matter and consider initiating appropriate action.” He further requests that a motion be moved against Minister Shah for his statement which “appears to be in direct contradiction to the ground reality.” Tagore seeks an apology from Shah to the entire Parliament.
The entire situation is further intensified by the context. Minister Shah made these remarks during a discussion on a no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha. This motion was introduced by the Congress party, representing the opposition’s standpoint against the current government. A no-confidence motion is a significant parliamentary process where the members express their trust or distrust in the government.
Minister Shah’s comments were also followed by his criticism of Rahul Gandhi, where he stated, “There is a leader in this House whose political career has been launched 13 times till now. And all 13 attempts have failed.” He further questioned what Gandhi had done to help Kalavati after his much-publicized visit.
The discussion on the no-confidence motion will end with a reply from Prime Minister Modi. It is yet to be seen how this ongoing situation will evolve and what outcomes it will lead to in India’s dynamic political landscape.