'Nothing Less Than An Apology...': Opposition Moves Privilege Notice Against Piyush Goyal

Several leaders of the INDIA alliance have given a privilege notice against Piyush Goyal over his certain remarks against some opposition leaders in Rajya Sabha.

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New Delhi: Several leaders of the INDIA alliance have given a privilege notice against leader of the house in Rajya Sabha Piyush Goyal over his certain remarks against some opposition leaders. Among the parties whose leaders gave the notice are the Congress, TMC, AAP, RJD, DMK, RJD, JDU, NCP and the Left parties.

Sources said leaders of the INDIA alliance members gave the notice to the Rajya Sabha chairman complaining against Goyal's certain remarks made while he was speaking on the issue of media portal 'NewsClick' receiving funding from China-linked firms allegedly to spread Chinese propaganda.

Goyal questioned the relationship between the opposition parties and a news portal that has been accused in a New York Times report of receiving funding from China-linked firms.

"Today at 1300 hrs, the floor leaders of INDIA parties in the Rajya Sabha submitted a privilege motion against Leader of the House Piyush Goyal for addressing the Opposition as all of them 'traitors'," Congress MP Jairam Ramesh said on Twitter.

"Nothing less than an apology from him on the floor of the House, when it is in order, will do," the Congress leader, who is a signatory to the privilege notice, said.

The leaders also raised an uproar in the House and demanded an apology from Goyal when it met at 12.45 PM.

Congress leaders, including Digvijaya Singh, claimed that Goyal had accused them of accepting money from China which was not acceptable even as other Congress members demanded that Goyal tenders an apology to them in the House.

Amid the din created by opposition members demanding an apology from him, the chairman adjourned the House for lunch.

BJP sources said Goyal never used the word during his remarks in the House, on which the opposition was creating an uproar.

In the House, Goyal, however, said he takes back any words which may not be parliamentary and urged the chair to remove the same from the records.

The chairman said he will go through the records and if there is anything unparliamentary, that cannot remain as part of the records of the House. He said he would remove if there is anything which is unparliamentary.

Later after lunch, the opposition leaders again raised the issue and walked out of the House in protest subsequently.

"The INDIA parties walked out of the Rajya Sabha today for the rest of the day because of: The continued refusal of the Modi government to allow an immediate discussion on Manipur on the basis of a mutually negotiated Motion.

"The continued refusal of the Leader of the House Piyush Goyal to apologise for the highly objectionable and completely unacceptable remarks he made against leaders of the INDIA parties," Ramesh said in another tweet after the opposition parties walked out of the House.