Congress MP Manickam Tagore accuses PM Modi of breach of parliamentary privilege over Karnataka sovereignty remark

The Virudhunagar MP alleged that Prime Minister Modi, during his election campaign in Karnataka, indulged in an act of breach of parliamentary privilege under Rule 222 of the Lok Sabha Rules of Procedures.

“The prime minister as the representative of the BJP party in the Karnataka election has raised false accusations against the Congress against their commitment to protecting the unity and sovereignty of the state of Karnataka if it wins the election.

“The remarks of the prime minister misrepresent the statement of Sonia Gandhi, chairperson of the Congress party, that the meaning of protecting sovereignty as meant by the Congress is the plan to separate the state from India,” he said in his letter to Birla.

Tagore said that such a “vehement” statement from the prime minister was highly obnoxious which would be a wrong precedent for the people who acquire high positions in this country either now or in the future.

Copy of the letter to Hon’ble Speaker. pic.twitter.com/XGmjJzq6b5

— Manickam Tagore .B🇮🇳✋மாணிக்கம் தாகூர்.ப (@manickamtagore) May 11, 2023

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‘Should seek explanation from PM’

“Therefore, it is pertinent that the Speaker refer the issue to the Committee of Parliamentary Privileges under Rule 222 and allow the same for discussion in the next Lok Sabha session as well as the House should rebuke the state of the prime minister seeking an explanation from him,” Tagore said.

The Congress MP said that keeping in view the seriousness of such “false representation with a mischievous attitude, I request you to take appropriate action to refer the same to the Privileges Committee and bring a motion of breach of privilege in Lok Sabha.”

In his last rally for the Karnataka Assembly elections, Prime Minister Modi went all out against the Congress, levelling serious allegations against the political rival.

Stating that in this Karnataka election, the Congress’s “shahi parivar” (royal family), had gone a step ahead “breaking all the limits and crushing the feelings of the country”, Modi said, “Not only Karnataka, I want to tell this to the entire country with a lot of pain that in this election Congress’ ‘shahi parivar’ yesterday came to Karnataka and said that they want to protect the ‘sovereignty’ of Karnataka.”

He continued, without taking any names: “Karnataka’s sovereignty, you know what is the meaning of it? They have sat in Parliament for so many years, they have taken oath on India’s Constitution, and they say this… When a country becomes independent that country is called a sovereign country. The meaning of what Congress is saying is that the Congress believes that Karnataka is separate from India.”

Asking people whether they approved of this and whether they would punish the Congress for such a statement, the prime minister said it meant that the Congress was openly advocating for separating Karnataka from India.

“I had never thought that the disease of the “tukde-tukde” (break up) gang would reach the Congress’ top level,” he said, accusing the party of insulting Kannada fighters who fought for India’s independence and insulting the patriotism of crores of Kannadigas.

For this speech of Hon’ble Prime Minister I have submitted to Hon’ble Speaker a privilege complaint .
Hope Hon’ble speaker act on it.
Even it’s Hon’ble PM he can’t get away with a lie . pic.twitter.com/tOfw6OptGm

— Manickam Tagore .B🇮🇳மாணிக்கம் தாகூர்.ப (@manickamtagore) May 11, 2023

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‘Karnataka is an integral part of India’

Noting that this was the land where ‘Rashtra Kavi’ Kuvempu had said Karnataka was an integral part of India with the lines in the state anthem,

“Jaya Bharata Jananiya Tanujate Jaya he Karnataka Maate,” Modi said, “For every Kannadiga, Karnataka is a mother and she has been described as the daughter of ‘Bharat ma’. I can feel the feelings of Kannadigas.”

Insulting the feelings of Karnataka was like insulting the “culture and pride” of the state, he added.

The Congress, on 8 May, petitioned the Election Commission to direct police authorities to register a case against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The party alleged that he made a false statement that “Congress is trying to disintegrate Karnataka from Bharat”.

The Congress accused him of making “false, baseless, frivolous” allegations only to solicit votes for the BJP during his public meeting at Nanjangud in Mysuru district on Sunday.

“The word ‘sovereignty’ was never used by Sonia Gandhi Ji in her speech dated May 6, 2023, at Hubballi, Karnataka. Since this has been erroneously reported — it is being deleted,” the Congress had said after the Election Commission sought an explanation from it.