Congress moves privilege motion against Amit Shah for 'maligning' Sonia Gandhi

NEW DELHI: The Congress party on Wednesday moved a privilege motion against Union home minister Amit Shah for "casting aspersions on Sonia Gandhi" with a "premeditated motive to malign her reputation".
Highlighting Amit Shah's Rajya Sabha address on the Disaster Management Bill, 2024, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh alleged that the home minister's statement was "blatantly false and defamatory".
During the discussion on the bill in Rajya Sabha, Shah had claimed that the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund under the UPA rule was solely controlled by a single family, unlike PM CARES under PM Modi's government.
"The Prime Minister's National Relief Fund was established during Congress rule, while PM CARES was created under Narendra Modi Ji's government, during the NDA regime. During Congress rule, a single family had control, sir. The Congress president was a member of it, sir. The Congress president had authority over government funds—the Congress president! What answer will you give to the people of this country? Do you think no one reads or watches anything?" Shah said according to the Congress leader.
In the motion, Jairam Ramesh alleged that it is "well established that it is breach of privilege and contempt of the House to cast reflections or make derogatory references to any member of the House".
"The home minister had made unfounded allegations against Smt. Sonia Gandhi with a premeditated motive to malign her reputation. The Home Minister's statement is blatantly false and is defamatory. This tantamounts to breach of privilege of Smt. Sonia Gandhi. Hence, this matter constitutes a breach of privilege and the contempt of the House as well," the Congress leader further wrote.


A privilege motion is a parliamentary procedure used when a member of the legislature believes that their privileges or the privileges of the house have been breached. Parliamentary privileges are special rights, immunities, and exemptions enjoyed by MPs and the legislature to ensure they can function independently and effectively.
A privilege motion can be moved against an individual, including ministers, or an entity that has violated these privileges by misleading the house, withholding information, or obstructing legislative work. If admitted by the Speaker (in Lok Sabha) or the Chairperson (in Rajya Sabha), the matter is referred to the Privileges Committee, which investigates and recommends action, which may include censure or other penalties.

The Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) was established in 1948 to provide assistance to those affected by natural disasters, riots, and other emergencies. It is managed by the Prime Minister and operates as a public charitable trust.
In contrast, PM CARES (Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund) was launched in 2020 to address emergency situations like the Covid-19 pandemic.
Unlike PMNRF, PM CARES is not subject to RTI scrutiny, has a separate governing structure, and allows corporate donations to qualify as CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) contributions. While both funds aim to provide relief, PM CARES is specifically focused on disaster management and preparedness.