Congress members demand Nishikant Dubey’s remarks against Rahul Gandhi should be expunged

New Delhi [India]: Congress members protested in Lok Sabha on Tuesday over remarks by BJP member Adhir Ranjan Chowdury against party leader Rahul Gandhi in the House and demanded that these should be expunged.

Soon after the House met for the day, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury sought to raise the issue.

Speaker Om Birla said no directions had been given and the member of the Speaker’s panel, when they preside over the House, are empowered to take all decisions.

As opposition members continued to protest, the House was adjourned till 12 noon. The House later took up debate on the motion of no-confidence against the government.

BJP member Nishikant Dubey had on Monday targeted Rahul Gandhi, whose membership of Lok Sabha was restored earlier in the day, and demanded that Election Commission should probe “funding of Congress by China”.

Dubey, who made the remarks soon after the House met following its adjournment during question hour, also posted a video of his remarks on Twitter. Congress and other opposition parties opposed his remarks. Congress members demanded that his remarks should be expunged.

Dubey took a jibe at Rahul Gandhi over his “mohabbat ki Dukan” campaign and apparently referred to Rajiv Gandhi Foundation getting funds from the Chinese Embassy.

“Rahul’s ‘nafrat ki dukaan’ is full of Chinese goods. The Congress’ policy is to break the country in league with China. The Election Commission should probe the Chinese funding of Congress,” Dubey later said in a Tweet.

Dubey also referred to report in a US-based newspaper about links between “Chinese propaganda” and a US Tech Mogul and said the article also mentions an Indian news site NewsClick, which is being probed by ED.

He said some Congress leaders made statements on Twitter after raids were conducted on the news site.

“Whenever India faced difficulty from 2005 to 2014…the Chinese government gave funds to Congress (Rajiv Gandhi Foundation) whose FCRA license was cancelled by the Indian government. In 2008, when the Olympics were held, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi were invited…,” he alleged.

He said Rahul Gandhi had met the then Chinese envoy during the Doklam standoff.
Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary on Monday wrote to the Lok Sabha speaker on behalf of the party demanding the “libellous” and “defamatory” remarks of Nishikant Dubey be expunged from records.

“We demand under Rule 380 that his remarks be expunged in full and that an inquiry be conducted into how such an allegation was permitted to be raised on the record”, the Congress leader wrote.

Rahul Gandhi was reinstated as member of Lok Sabha on Monday after Supreme Court stayed his conviction in the ‘Modi’ surname remark case.