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3 min readUpdated: Feb 12, 2026 02:15 PM IST
As Gandhi was questioned about the substantive motion in Parliament, he asked whether that was the keyword provided to the media for the day. (Photo/PTI)
After BJP MP Nishikant Dubey submitted a notice for moving a substantive motion against Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi Thursday, the Congress leader hit out at the media when asked about it, saying that it was doing “a disservice to the country” by taking a “keyword” from “the government and running shows on that”.
As Gandhi was questioned about the substantive motion in Parliament, he asked whether that was the keyword provided to the media for the day.
“Kuch toh apna kaam kara karo bhai (You should do some of your work). You are not totally employed by the BJP. Try to do a little objective work. It gets really shameful. It is too much. Don’t you think? You are responsible people. You are media people.
“You have a responsibility to be objective. You can’t just take a word they give you every day and then run your whole show on that. You are doing a disservice to the country. Are you not able to recognise that?” said Gandhi as he sat in his car to leave.
In his notice, Dubey alleged that Gandhi had “misled” the House and demanded the cancellation of his parliamentary membership. He has also said that Gandhi should be barred from contesting elections.
Speaking to The Indian Express outside the House, Dubey said he had mentioned Rahul Gandhi’s engagements with the Soros Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and USAID, and his travel to countries such as Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and the US to engage in anti-India activities.
The notice comes after Gandhi’s sharp attack on the government, aimed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the India-US trade deal, saying it would compromise the country’s energy security and farm interests.
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On the substantive motion against Rahul Gandhi, Congress MP Imran Masood said if the government was bringing the motion, it should also be ready to hear the response.
“They are removing everything from the LOP’s speech. They should hear a reply from the Opposition if they are bringing the motion. What is unparliamentary in the Epstein files? It is an important issue,” Masood told The Indian Express.
Participating in a House discussion on the Union Budget, Gandhi used a martial arts “grip” and “chokehold” analogy to target the government. “You are telling us that energy and finance are being weaponised, and then you are having it done to you; you are having it done to our farmers; you are having it done to our youngsters. You are handing over our data. How can you even make these statements? How can you even come to this House…,” he said.
Asad Rehman is with the national bureau of The Indian Express and covers politics and policy focusing on religious minorities in India. A journalist for over eight years, Rehman moved to this role after covering Uttar Pradesh for five years for The Indian Express. During his time in Uttar Pradesh, he covered politics, crime, health, and human rights among other issues. He did extensive ground reports and covered the protests against the new citizenship law during which many were killed in the state. During the Covid pandemic, he did extensive ground reporting on the migration of workers from the metropolitan cities to villages in Uttar Pradesh. He has also covered some landmark litigations, including the Babri Masjid-Ram temple case and the ongoing Gyanvapi-Kashi Vishwanath temple dispute. Prior to that, he worked on The Indian Express national desk for three years where he was a copy editor. Rehman studied at La Martiniere, Lucknow and then went on to do a bachelor's degree in History from Ramjas College, Delhi University. He also has a Masters degree from the AJK Mass Communication Research Centre, Jamia Millia Islamia. ... Read More
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