Cong MPs should make Rahul understand he cannot speak in LS violating its rules: Rijiju

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday said he has asked several Congress MPs to make Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi understand that a privilege notice could be moved against him if he speaks in the Lok Sabha, violating its rules and procedures. This comes a day after Rijiju said a notice for a privilege motion will be brought against Gandhi for ''misleading'' the House and making ''baseless statements''. ''I have told several Congress MPs that they should make Rahul Gandhi understand a bit that speaking outside the rules attracts privilege notice,'' he told reporters in the Parliament House complex on Thursday, when asked about the privilege notice. ''I have told them to explain it to Rahul Gandhi. He may not be aware of the rules (of the Lok Sabha),'' he added. Rijiju said there are several Congress MPs who are ''educated and mature''. ''They work according to the rules. These people should make Rahul Gandhi understand,'' he said, adding, ''Rahul Gandhi has violated several rules. We follow the rules. We do not do anything in violation of rules.'' In a no-holds-barred attack on the Narendra Modi government, Gandhi on Wednesday alleged the India-US interim trade deal was a ''wholesale surrender'', with India's energy security handed over to America and farmers' interests compromised. Participating in the debate on the Union Budget in Lok Sabha, the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha also alleged that Indian interests had been ''surrendered'' under the trade deal to protect the BJP's financial architecture. Soon after Gandhi concluded his speech, Rijiju slammed the LoP, dismissing his claims as ''full of lies'', and said the treasury benches will seek expunging of his ''lies'' from the records of the House proceedings. Addressing a press conference later in the Parliament House complex, the parliamentary affairs minister had alleged that Gandhi made ''baseless and false'' allegations against the government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Rijiju had said the leader of the opposition also made a ''serious allegation'' against Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, taking his name in the Lok Sabha without giving any prior notice. ''It is a serious breach of privilege. We are going to file a privilege notice against Rahul Gandhi for misleading the House and making baseless statements,'' the minister had told reporters.