'Are You Above Parliament?' Kiren Rijiju Asks Rahul Gandhi To Apologise For Flouting Rules, Wasting Time

New Delhi: Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju delivered a sharp rebuttal to Rahul Gandhi's comments on the former Army chief's revelations about the Ladakh stand-off between India and China in 2020 in Parliament, saying that the Leader of Opposition flouted parliamentary rules and quoted from a book whose authenticity is not clear. He even went to the extent of hitting out on his family saying that no one should think themselves to be above the Parliament even if they are "born in a known family". 

Describing the heated showdown in the Parliament, Rijiju said, “Our party initiated the Motion of Thanks to the President's Address. All of us were seated to hear the speech of LoP Rahul Gandhi. But right from the beginning, Rahul Gandhi flouted rules and started quoting from a book whose publication and authenticity is not clearly mentioned. Defence Minister and all of us said that the House will function as per rules and one should speak as per rules."

“One cannot challenge the Chair. Even after the ruling of Lok Sabha Speaker, Rahul Gandhi kept repeating the same mistake...He wasted half an hour, violated rules and kept saying the same thing. He started speaking on China border,” the Parliamentary Affairs Minister explained.

Lashing out at the Congress party and hitting out at the Gandhi family, without directly mentioning them, Rijiju questioned whether Rahul Gandhi thinks himself to be "above the Parliament."

“Can Congress party bring back the landmass that was captured by China in 1959 and 1962?...Rahul Gandhi should apologise to the nation...If someone is born in a known family, are they above the Parliament? Are they above the rules? India is a democratic nation and function as per rules,” the senior BJP Minister said.

Rijiju even asked Rahul Gandhi to make his party MPs understand that they should abide by parliamentary rules and should also apologise to the nation for their party's "sin," in regards to the China border. Rijiju was referring to the Indo-China War in 1962, when the Congress party was in power at the Centre.

"Rahul Gandhi doesn't follow any rules. He conciders himself above Parliament. Senior Congress leaders got up and started clapping...Rahul Gandhi should use his brains and make his MPs understand to follow rules. That is my request to him. He should apologise for the sin of Congress with respect to China border," he said.

“What will you gain by humiliating the country? Kindly do not put anything in the House which will bring down the motivation of the Indian Army,” Rijiju added.

Emphasising the importance of maintaining the confidentiality of high-level discussions when it comes to national security, Rijiju said that such conversations should not come out in public. 

“The conversations that take place between Army Chief and Defence Minister or Army Chief and Prime Minister, it it something that is said out publicly? No,” the Minister said speaking to reporters, adding, “He (Rahul Gandhi) is just trying to insult India again.”

The Parliamentary Affairs Minister had a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at Speaker Om Birla's chamber. Following the meeting, he rushed to the Prime Minister's Office in Parliament along with Rajnath Singh. Rijijy informed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be skipping the Parliament and the Speaker will decide on what action will be taken against the Congress floor leader in the Lok Sabha.

The Stand-Off In Parliament

The Parliament witnessed a heated confrontation on Monday, after Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi challenged the BJP-ruled central government after he quote a magazine article that contained excerpts from an unpublished memoir of former Army Chief General MM Naravane. He even asked the government why it was "so scared" of its content, and insisted on reading excerpts related to the Doklam standoff.

"What does it contain which is scaring them so much? If they are not scared, I should be allowed to read on," Rahul Gandhi said during the motion of thanks on the President's Address.

Rahul Gandhi's reply was interrupted by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh who stated that the Congress MP cannot quote from an unpublished book, which has allegedly not been authenticated.

What Did Rahul Gandhi Say

Rahul Gandhi kickstarted the political storm by saying in Parliament, “I'd like to start by reading something. And this is from the memoir of Army Chief Naravane. And I'd like you to listen nicely. You will understand exactly who is patriotic, who is not.”

Gandhi further said that the passage related to an incident at Doklam, when "four Chinese tanks were entering Indian territory" and attempting to take control of a ridge. "The Army Chief writes, and I quote from an article that is quoting his book," he continued, just when he was interrupted by Rajnath Singh.

Responding to questions on authenticity, Rahul Gandhi said that his source was authentic and that the quotations appeared in a published magazine article citing the unpublished memoirs of former the Army Chief, who served as Chief of the Army Staff from December 2019 to April 2022.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla however said that unpublished materials could not be read out in the House and denied permission to proceed with the reading. 

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