NEW DELHI: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has written to Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar claiming that officers from the Central Public Works Department (CPWD), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and Tata Projects have been entering his room in Parliament without informing him.
“I am deeply shocked to learn that on September 28, 2024, my chamber room number G-19 in Parliament House was entered into by CPWD, CISF and Tata Projects without any prior intimation whatsoever to me or to my office,” the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha said in the letter.
Calling it a blatant violation of rules, Kharge demanded that his complaint should be given due importance. “This is an extraordinary development. It is in blatant violation of rules and my privileges both as a Member of Parliament and as the Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha, in which capacity the chamber has been allotted to me,” Kharge said, adding, “I find this intrusion highly disrespectful and completely unacceptable.”
“I demand to know under whose authority and instructions they entered my chamber without permission. This may be taken seriously,” he said.
The opposition leader also said that he trusts “that measures will be taken to ensure that such incidents which undermine the dignity of the Leader of the Opposition do not happen in the future.”
“If at all such entry is required, my permission must be sought and must take place with somebody from my office present. I look forward to your prompt response on this matter,” he said.
Separately, the Congress chief also accused the government of facilitating the recruitment of Indian workers in Israel amid the raging war in West Asia.
In a post on micro-blogging site X, Kharge alleged that around 15,000 Indian workers were being sent to Israel through the government’s National Skill Development Corporation. “Earlier, many Indian youths were duped by dubious agents to go for the Russia-Ukraine war. Many have lost their lives too. It speaks volumes about the joblessness, induced by the anti-youth policies of the Modi government,” Kharge posted.
Dubey panel to review press council law
The parliamentary standing committee on communications and IT, headed by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, will look into the Press Council of India Act and will review broadcasting laws and censor board. The was reconstituted on September 26 and Dubey appointed its chairman. “This committee will review fake news, the status of journalists, the new online media laws of the British and European Union, losses caused to IT due to the World Trade Organisation agreement, the status of newspapers, the laws of broadcasting, the Copyright Act, the censor board, the status of film artists, our panel will also look into the Press Council Act,” Dubey wrote on X.