ISLAMABAD: A fresh confrontation has erupted between the Indian Congress and the BJP after Congress MP K.C. Venugopal filed a privilege notice against Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his April 18 televised address to the nation, according to The Times of India's Tuesday report.
The notice was submitted to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on April 21.
The row stems from Modi’s speech a day after the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, failed to secure the required two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha.
The bill had been proposed by the government as a step toward implementing reserved seats for women.
According to The Indian Express, Venugopal accused the Prime Minister of making “direct reflections” on the voting pattern of Opposition MPs and attributing motives to them.
He argued that such remarks amounted to a “serious breach of privilege and contempt of the House”.
Venugopal also said Modi’s use of a national address to criticize the Opposition was unprecedented and unethical, describing it as a “blatant abuse of power.”
The notice argued that no person, including the Prime Minister, should comment on the conduct or voting behavior of MPs in a way that questions their motives.
Venugopal said such imputations undermine the dignity and authority of Parliament and interfere with the free and independent discharge of parliamentary duties.
The Congress also argued that the Opposition’s stand was not against women’s reservation itself.
As reported by The Tribune, Venugopal pointed out that the Constitution (106th Amendment) Act, 2023, providing for women’s reserved seats in the Lok Sabha, had already been passed unanimously.
He said objections to the new bill were rooted in concerns over its additional provisions, including those tied to delimitation.
Congress member of the Upper House, Jairam Ramesh, publicly backed the move, saying a Prime Minister’s address to the nation should be reserved for moments of national unity and confidence-building.
But Modi’s speech, he argued, turned instead into a partisan attack marked by repeated criticism of the Congress, according to The Times of India.
Venugopal has urged the Speaker to treat the matter urgently, refer it to the Committee of Privileges and initiate proceedings against the prime minister.
The notice has added a new layer of political tension to the fallout from the bill’s defeat in the Lok Sabha.
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