Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra on Friday, December 13 accused Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju of threatening her in the Lok Sabha and stated that she has filed a complaint with the Geneva-based Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). The IPU is an international body that works to promote peace and protect parliamentary members globally.
Mahua took to social media to allege gender harassment and intimidation. She wrote on X, “Kiren Rijiju openly threatens me in Lok Sabha today in complete violation of parliamentary rules & procedure. @ombirlakota says he will get Rijiju’s words deleted but no action yet. Written to Inter-Parliamentary Union against this continued gender harassment & intimidation yet again.”
She alleged that despite Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla’s assurances to expunge Kiren’s remarks, no action had been taken.
The incident occurred during a debate on 75 years of the Indian Constitution, where Mahua sharply criticised the BJP for undermining constitutional principles and institutions. In her speech, she made a reference to the 2014 death of Judge BH Loya, which had been a subject of speculation following a media report alleging foul play as he was hearing a politically sensitive case.
“Honourable defence minister in a speech this morning mentioned the courage of the late justice HR Khanna to dissent in 1976. May I remind everyone, Justice HR Khanna lived for 32 years after 1976 under a largely Congress regime. Long enough to write his autobiography which the minister quoted from. Unlike poor Justice Loya, who is resting in peace long before his time,” Mahua had said.
Reacting to her remarks, Kiren Rijiju said she was reopening an issue which had already been settled by the Supreme Court. He warned her of parliamentary consequences and said, “We will take appropriate parliamentary action. You cannot escape. You are setting a very wrong precedent.”
This prompted an uproar from Opposition MPs, who accused Kiren Rijiju of intimidating a female parliamentarian in violation of parliamentary norms. The session was adjourned twice as tempers flared.
After the adjournments, Speaker Om Birla requested Mahua Moitra to verify her statements and addressed concerns over Kiren Rijiju’s remarks. Following this, Opposition leaders, including Trinamool Congress’s Saugata Roy and Congress’s KC Venugopal, criticised Kiren Rijiju’s language. They argued that proper parliamentary procedures should have been followed to address concerns about Mahua's speech. Venugopal urged Om Birla to intervene, stating that the minister had intimidated a female member instead of maintaining order, and called for either an apology or the removal of Kiren Rijiju's comments.
KC Venugopal addressed the Speaker, saying, “You are the custodian. You have the powers to delete, expunge... The Parliamentary Affairs Minister hijacked and took the entire custody of the House and he virtually threatened the lady member.”