Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Thursday dismissed a privilege notice filed against Union Home Minister Amit Shah, citing a 1948 government press release that authenticated his statement regarding a Congress leader’s involvement in the management of the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF).
The privilege notice was submitted by Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh, who alleged that Amit Shah had made remarks casting aspersions on Congress Parliamentary Party leader Sonia Gandhi. The controversy arose during Shah’s response to the debate on the Disaster Management Bill, 2024, in the Rajya Sabha on March 25.
Dhankhar stated that Shah had agreed to substantiate his statement by referring to an official press statement issued by the Press Information Bureau of the Government of India on January 24, 1948. The document revealed that then-Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had announced the formation of the PMNRF, which was to be overseen by a committee that included the Prime Minister, the President of the Indian National Congress, and other key figures.
After thoroughly reviewing the matter, Dhankhar concluded that no breach of privilege had occurred. “I have carefully gone through it. I find there has been no transgression,” he declared, formally rejecting the notice.
This decision comes amid heightened political tensions between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress, with the opposition raising concerns over what they perceive as attempts to distort historical facts for political gains. However, the ruling dispensation maintains that the historical records substantiate their claims, reinforcing their argument against the opposition’s objections.
