Privilege notice against Irani in Lok Sabha

The opposition Congress submitted a privilege notice in the Lok Sabha against Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani for what a Left leader said was "lying" to the house. Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said the matter was under consideration.

While the opposition leaders said they may not submit a similar notice in the Rajya Sabha so soon, as she did not complete her speech in the upper house of parliament, they will approach the Rajya Sabha secretariat in case Mahajan did not admit the Congress notice.

"The minister lied in her speech in the Lok Sabha; so a privilege motion has been submitted in the lower house. In the Rajya Sabha, the minister could not conclude her speech," Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Sitaram Yechury told IANS.

"If it is not admitted in the Lok Sabha, in that case, we will submit a notice in the Rajya Sabha as the minister (Smriti Irani) is a member of the upper house," Yechury said.

On a similar note, Communist Party of India leader D. Raja said consultations were on over the issue.

"We are discussing how to go about it; a final decision has not yet been taken," he said.

In the Lok Sabha on Monday, the Congress gave a notice for a privilege motion against Irani and created a ruckus for a while, shortly before Finance Minister Arun Jaitley stood up to present the general budget for 2016-17.

Soon after the house met, the speaker asked Jaitley to present the budget but Congress member K.C. Venugopal stood up and sought to know from the speaker the status of his privilege motion against the HRD minister.

"It is painful for me to do that on the day of the (presentation of the) general budget; I had to move a privilege motion against the HRD minister," Venugopal said.

Other Congress members, including the party's leader in the house Mallikarjun Kharge, also stood up and asked the speaker to clarify on the notice's status.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu objected and said: "Very cheap politics...nothing should go on record."

Amid noisy scenes, Mahajan requested the agitating members not to create a ruckus and let the finance minister present the budget.

"I have received the notices given on February 26 and February 29 against Smriti Irani. The matter is under my consideration," Mahajan said.