New Delhi: Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has written to Speaker Om Birla over a notice of privilege issued to his party colleague Rahul Gandhi for levelling allegations against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the remarks were made in public interest.

Chowdhury said during his speech on the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address on February 7, Gandhi “fulfilled his duty as an elected representative” as investors’ wealth was eroded due to a stock market crash of the Adani Group’s shares following allegations of irregularities levelled against the conglomerate by US-based short-selling firm Hindenburg Research.

“Democracy thrives on the delicate balance between the ruling party and the opposition. The function of the opposition parties is to point out the shortcomings of the government so that they are rectified and the nation progresses. If the voice of the opposition is not allowed to be heard, we are failing to do our constitutional duty,” the Congress leader said in his letter to Birla.

Chowdhury, who is the chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee, said being the Leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha, it has come to his knowledge that a notice of privilege has been served to Gandhi for his speech.

“In that notice of privilege, it has been stated that Shri Gandhi has made certain remarks on the functioning of the prime minister, without giving a prior notice under Rule 353 of the Rules of Procedure.

“Rule 353 of the Rules of Procedure, as it stands today, provides that no allegation against any person shall be made unless the member has given previous intimation to the honourable speaker so that the member may be able to make an investigation into the matter for the purpose of reply,” he said.

The Congress leader added that according to the rule, the speaker may prohibit the members from making such allegations if he is of the opinion that the charges are derogatory and no public interest will be served by levelling those. “Sir, as you are aware that due to the wrongdoings of a business house, the stock market has crashed and thousands of crores of wealth of the investors have eroded. As a representative of the people of this country, member Rahul Gandhi raised this issue on the floor of the House and by doing so, Gandhi has fulfilled his duty as an elected representative. The issue was raised in ‘public interest’ and for the service of the nation,” Chowdhury contended in his letter to Birla.

He alleged that the members of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) time and again make unsubstantiated allegations in the House against former prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Manmohan Singh.

“Moreover, members of the BJP call names and also make derogatory remarks on member Rahul Gandhi and his family members. Such actions of the members of the BJP are never admonished or the members reprimanded.

“Sir, as the speaker of this House, every member looks up to you to deliver justice in the House and also protect the constitutional rights of the individual members. An elected representative serves this nation and he should be allowed to function so as to serve the interest of the general public and this great nation,” the Congress leader said in his letter to Birla.

The Lok Sabha Secretariat has asked Gandhi, the Lok Sabha MP from Wayanad in Kerala, to respond by February 15 to the notices given by BJP members regarding his remarks on the prime minister in the House.

In a letter to Gandhi dated February 10, the secretariat has asked him to furnish his reply to the breach of privilege notices moved against him by BJP MPs Nishikant Dubey and Pralhad Joshi by February 15 for the speaker’s consideration.

Following Gandhi’s speech in the Lok Sabha on February 7, during which he commented on the Hindenburg-Adani issue, Dubey and Joshi, who is also the parliamentary affairs minister, moved the notices against the former Congress chief.

Both the BJP leaders, in their notices to the speaker, have alleged that Gandhi’s comments were baseless and that he levelled “contemptuous, unparliamentary and dishonourable” allegations against the prime minister.