Renuka Chowdhury files privilege motion against Kiren Rijiju for 'objectionable' social media post

Rijiju had posted a video of Prime Minister Narendra Modi giving the Ramayana reference while Renuka Chowdhury laughed in Rajya Sabha.

NEW DELHI: Angered by the 'objectionable' social media post of Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju, senior Congress leader Renuka Chowdhury has filed a privilege motion against him. Rijiju had on Wednesday posted a video of Prime Minister Narendra Modi giving the Ramayana reference while she laughed in Rajya Sabha.

Commenting on the social media post, the Congress leader had on Thursday said: "This is highly objectionable and I am going to file for the privilege."

However, Rijiju had held that there was nothing wrong in the video that he had posted. In a tweet, he had said: "Renuka ji, I fail to comprehend in which way did I insult the women dignity? I merely referred to PM's equanimity."

Renuka ji, I fail to comprehend in which way did I insult the women dignity? I merely referred to PM's equanimity https://t.co/9TMMGatnIo

— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) February 8, 2018

He also cited that Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu had himself said that Renuka Chowdhury's behaviour was unacceptable. "The Congress says it's a breach of privilege! Rajya Sabha Chairman remarked that such behaviour is unbecoming. I'm only referring to how PM didn't get annoyed," Rijiju said.

Backing Renuka Chowdhury, Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma had also said that the Prime Minister had crossed the line of political discourse with his language and the "outrageous" reference for which he should apologise. 

"A women Parliamentarian (was) laughing at his language of claims," he said, referring to Chowdhury's laughter when Modi said in the Rajya Sabha that the BJP-led government in 1998 had mooted the idea of Aadhaar.

"What was alluded to is shameful. We condemn it. He should apologise," he said.

Sharma had also questioned why PM Modi was silent about Rijiju's comments. "The Prime Minister is silent on that, which is again not only obnoxious, outrageous but condemnable. The minister is silent, the government is silent. Women security does not come only by saying words like 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao', as all this sounds like hollow talk," he said.

After Modi's reference to Aadhaar in Parliament, Chowdhury had burst into a guffaw, drawing the ire of the House chairman. "If you have some problem, go to a doctor, please," Naidu had said.

Smiling broadly, Modi had requested Naidu not to restrain the Congress MP. "It is for the first time after the 'Ramayana' serial that we have had the good fortune of hearing such laughter today," Modi had said.