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KC Venugopal moves privilege motion against Union MoS Jitendra Singh

Senior Congress leader KC Venugopal on Friday moved a privilege motion against Union Minister of State (MoS) Jitendra Singh in Lok Sabha, alleging that the latter misled the lower house by stating that no firing took place during the police action against student protesters on the July 20 'Sansad Chalo' march.
Published By : Prashant Dash | July 31, 2026 4:39 PM
KC Venugopal moves privilege motion against Union MoS Jitendra Singh
New Delhi, July 31 : Senior Congress leader KC Venugopal on Friday moved a privilege motion against Union Minister of State (MoS) Jitendra Singh in Lok Sabha, alleging that the latter misled the lower house by stating that no firing took place during the police action against student protesters on the July 20 'Sansad Chalo' march.
 
In a notice submitted under Rule 222 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha, Venugopal sought initiation of privilege proceedings against Union MoS Singh and requested that the matter be referred to the Committee of Privileges.
 
"I hereby give notice of question of privilege under Rule 222 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha against Dr Jitendra Singh, Union Minister," the notice stated.
 
Venugopal referred to Singh's reply during the discussion on the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, on July 29.
According to the notice, the Minister had stated, "Secondly, it has been repeatedly clarified that no firing took place at all; tear gas was used, so when no firing took place at all, the question of giving an order does not arise."
 
The Congress leader alleged that the statement was contrary to the facts.
 
"Contrary to the Hon'ble Minister's assertions, firing did occur, and the injured person is still under medication, with data available in the public domain. By falsely claiming on the floor of the House that no firing took place, the Minister has knowingly and deliberately provided incorrect information to Parliament and misled the House," the notice said.
Venugopal further argued that misleading Parliament constitutes a breach of privilege and contempt of the House.
 
"It is well established that misleading the House constitutes a breach of privilege and contempt of the House. A Minister is expected to verify facts before placing them on record in the supreme legislative body of the country," he stated, urging the Speaker to refer the matter to the Committee of Privileges for examination and necessary action.
In a post on X, Venugopal said, "Moved a Privilege Motion against MoS Jitendra Singh for blatantly lying on the floor of Parliament and claiming that 'no firing took place' in response to the peaceful protests of our students. LoP Rahul Gandhi met a pellet gun victim in front of the media; there are countless media reports documenting victims of such firing, and hospital records have also emerged of victims suffering from injuries from such firings."
 
"The Government cannot get away with such obvious falsehoods in Parliament. There should be action against the Minister," he added.
 
The privilege notice comes amid the Congress' continued attack on the Centre over the alleged police action against students during the July 20 'Sansad Chalo' protest.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday accused the government of using force against protesting students and later filing FIRs against them despite allegedly assuring that no action would be taken after the protest was withdrawn.
 
Leader of Opposition (LoP) Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi also accused the Centre of attempting to silence Gen Z by filing FIRs and taking down social media accounts of student protesters, while reiterating his demand for an independent Supreme Court-monitored probe into the alleged police action.