Dhankhar rejects Congress privilege notice against Shah

Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Thursday rejected a privilege notice filed by the Congress against Union home minister Amit Shah and said the minister's statement that the opposition party had objected to, was authenticated by a 1948 government press release and there was "absolute adherence to truth as vindicated by document authenticated by the minister."

- Smriti Kak Ramachandran

Dhankhar also urged the Ethics Committee to draft fresh guidelines for members for adherence, pointing out members rush to invoke breach of privilege, and frowning on such notices being made public even before they are considered.

"We rush to the media, give it traction, try to tarnish image. And I have said on a number of occasions, this House will not be a platform to ruin [the] reputations of people," he said.

The Congress on Wednesday moved a privilege motion against Shah for "casting aspersions on Sonia Gandhi" with a "premeditated motive to malign her reputation" during a discussion on the Disaster Management Bill 2024. The minister had said that the PM's Relief Fund under the UPA rule was solely controlled by one family, unlike the PM CARES fund under the Modi government.