Congress leader KC Venugopal has written to the Lok Sabha Speaker, filing a privilege notice against Prime Minister Narendra Modi for “defaming” MPs during his address to the nation.
In a letter to Om Birla, KC Venugopal said, “I hereby file a notice of question of privilege under the provisions of Rule 222 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of the Lok Sabha against the Prime Minister of India for impugning members of the Lok Sabha during his/her speech broadcast on 18 April 2026.”
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What did Venugopal’s notice say?
Referring to the events leading up to the speech, Venugopal said that on April 18, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation on national television after the defeat of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, in the Lok Sabha on April 17, which failed to secure the two-thirds majority required under the provisions of Article 368 of the Constitution.
He said that in the 29-minute speech, which was billed as an address to the nation, the Prime Minister criticized the opposition parties for blocking the bill and made direct reference to the voting pattern of opposition members, attributing motives to them.
Venugopal said: “This matter deserves to be treated with the utmost seriousness, because questioning an elected representative in the performance of his duty is not just a personal attack, but a direct insult to the authority of Parliament and the democratic rights of the people of India.”
He said: “I urge you, Your Excellency Speaker of the House of Representatives, to take immediate and decisive steps to uphold the sanctity of Parliament and the constitutional protection granted to its members, so that such violations are not ignored or repeated.”
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Jairam Ramesh on Venugopal’s message
“My senior colleague in Lok Sabha, KC Venugopal, has issued a notice of privilege against the Prime Minister for his so-called address to the nation after his nefarious designs were defeated in Lok Sabha by something he did not expect – absolute opposition unity and solidarity,” Congress MP Jairam Ramesh wrote on X.
“The current Prime Minister’s address to the nation has always been dedicated to the higher purpose of national unity and confidence building. The Prime Minister’s overt partisan demagoguery during this address – with 59 different attacks on the Congress party – will be another permanent blot on his record as Prime Minister,” he added, referring to the Indian National Congress.
The Constitution of Government (131st Amendment) Bill, which proposed implementing women’s reservation and increasing the strength of the Lok Sabha to 816 seats, was defeated in the House on Friday.
