New Delhi: Congress Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday submitted a privilege notice against Union Home Minister Amit Shah, accusing him of making defamatory remarks against former Congress President and Rajya Sabha MP Sonia Gandhi.
In his notice to the Rajya Sabha Chairman, Ramesh alleged that Shah made “unfounded allegations with a premeditated motive to malign Sonia Gandhi’s reputation” during his reply to the debate on the Disaster Management Bill, 2024, on March 25.
“The Home Minister’s statement is blatantly false and defamatory. This constitutes a breach of privilege of Smt. Sonia Gandhi and contempt of the House,” Ramesh, who is the Congress chief whip in Rajya Sabha, stated.
He cited Shah’s remarks regarding the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund, where the Home Minister allegedly claimed that under the Congress regime, “only one family had control, and the Congress President was a member of this fund.” The Congress argued that this statement implied corruption and misconduct without evidence, thus justifying a breach of privilege notice under Rule 188 of the Rajya Sabha’s Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business.
Ramesh further contended that while Shah did not explicitly name Sonia Gandhi, his reference to the Congress President’s involvement in the PM Relief Fund was a clear allusion to her, making the remarks derogatory and reflective of political bias.
The privilege notice follows Sonia Gandhi’s recent speech in the Upper House, where she criticized the government for underfunding maternity entitlements under the National Food Security Act, 2013, and the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY). She pointed out that the scheme required an annual budget of ₹12,000 crore but was only allocated ₹2,521 crore in 2025-26, violating key provisions of the law.
