Cong MP gives privilege notice in RS against Piyush Goyal

Congress MP Shaktisin Gohil has given a privilege notice against Leader of Rajya Sabha Piyush Goyal for raising the issue of Rahul Gandhi, who is not a member of the House.

Cong MP gives privilege notice in RS against Piyush Goyal
Source: IANS

New Delhi, March 14 (IANS) Congress MP Shaktisin Gohil has given a privilege notice against Leader of Rajya Sabha Piyush Goyal for raising the issue of Rahul Gandhi, who is not a member of the House.

"I do hereby give a notice under Rule 188 of Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Council of States for violating Rule 238 A and establish procedure by Shri Piyush Goel. Rule 238 is very clear that "no allegation of a defamatory or incriminatory nature shall be made by a member against any other member or a member of the House," the notice said.

Gohil said on March 13 after laying of papers and other formal items, the Leader of the House, Piyush Goyal raised the matter regarding some observations made by the member of the other House and that too outside the House.

He said under Rule 238 A as well as it is time honoured tradition that reference is not made in one House to the Member of the other House.

He also cited past precedence of N.C. Chatterjee, Member of the Lok Sabha made a speech outside Parliament and when his speech issue was raised in the Rajya Sabha on May 11,1954, it was not allowed and On June 19, 1967, Chairman Rajya Sabha V.V. Giri inter alia stated "I would like to add that it would be a good rule to observe that members of one House should not use the freedom of speech on the floor of the House to make allegations or charges against members of the other House".

He also cited a case from 1983, when a member sought to make allegations in the Rajya Sabha against a member of Lok Sabha, L.K. Advani, who was then a member of the Rajya Sabha, protested against it and requested the Chair not to allow the allegations to go on record. Accordingly the Vice-Chairman inter alia observed, "Prima facie Mr. Advani is right. Before referring to a member of the other House one has to exercise a lot of care and caution."

The Congress MP also referred to the Prime Minister's statement in foreign soil in Shanghai, Seol and Toronto.