Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar Turns Down Privilege Notice Against Amit Shah

New Delhi: Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar rejected a privilege notice filed by Congress MP Jairam Ramesh against Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The notice accused Shah of casting aspersions on Sonia Gandhi, the Congress Parliamentary Party head, during a debate on the Disaster Management Bill, 2024. Shah had referenced a 1948 government press release to substantiate his claim that a Congress leader was involved in managing the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund.

Dhankhar reviewed the matter and concluded that Shah’s statement was authenticated and did not violate parliamentary privilege. He cited a Press Information Bureau statement from January 24, 1998, which documented the then Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru’s announcement of the PMNRF.

The fund was to be overseen by a committee comprising the Prime Minister, the Indian National Congress president, and other designated individuals. Dhankhar stated, “I have carefully gone through it. I find there has been no transgression,” and subsequently dismissed the notice. This decision marked a setback for the Congress party.