'Opposition Tried To Create An Ugly Scene': Kiren Rijiju To News18 Amid PM Modi Address Row

Last Updated:February 16, 2026, 13:57 IST

Kiren Rijiju said a “rule book wise” case exists regarding Rahul Gandhi’s Lok Sabha membership and indicated the no-confidence motion against the Speaker will likely be taken up.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju has said that a “rule book-wise" case exists against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi regarding his Lok Sabha membership, while signalling that key parliamentary confrontations, including the no-confidence motion against Speaker Om Birla, are likely to dominate proceedings when Parliament reconvenes for the second half of the Budget Session.

In an interview with CNN-News18, Rijiju said, “Rule book-wise a case is made out to take away Rahul Gandhi’s membership, but we will see when Parliament meets again."

His remarks come amid continuing political tensions following repeated disruptions during the first half of the session.

“The no-confidence motion against the Speaker will be taken in the second half, most likely at the start itself," he said, suggesting that the debate could become one of the first major flashpoints when the session restarts.

Rijiju also addressed the controversy surrounding Prime Minister Narendra Modi not delivering his reply to the Motion of Thanks debate earlier in the session.

Defending the decision, he told CNN-News18 that the government acted to prevent escalation inside the House.

“The Prime Minister did not speak on the Indo-US deal in Parliament because of the conduct of opposition women MPs," he said.

According to him, the situation risked turning disorderly.

“It is evident they were trying to create an ugly scene. Any attempt to get physical with the Prime Minister would have resulted in treasury MPs also intervening, leading to an ugly scene which we wanted to avoid," Rijiju added.

On the controversy linked to references to former Army chief MM Naravane’s unpublished memoir, Rijiju rejected allegations that the government was on the defensive.

“The government was not defensive on the Naravane issue, rules were followed," he said, maintaining that parliamentary procedures were adhered to by the Chair.

He further asserted that criticism targeting the government’s handling of national interests was misplaced.

“There is no way the Prime Minister will sell or compromise the interest of the country," Rijiju said.

UPROAR IN PARLIAMENT

The first half of the Budget Session witnessed repeated adjournments amid opposition protests after Rahul Gandhi was disallowed from quoting excerpts related to Naravane’s unpublished memoir, leading to heightened confrontation between the treasury and opposition benches.

Union Minister had accused Rahul Gandhi of deliberately stalling parliamentary proceedings, claiming the Congress leader was “not interested in running the House" and was focused on creating issues instead.

Rijiju had said the government would not take additional steps to “placate" the Congress after making several attempts to ensure the smooth functioning of Parliament.

While Rijiju had confirmed that the debate and vote on the no-confidence motion against Speaker Om Birla are scheduled to be taken up when the House reassembles on March 9, he also indicated that the second part of the Budget Session would feature discussions on demands for grants of selected ministries and the introduction of important legislation.

News india 'Opposition Tried To Create An Ugly Scene': Kiren Rijiju To News18 Amid PM Modi Address Row

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