From 'Bihari Gunda' to 'ping pong match': Pegasus row heats up

Official sources said Dubey has moved a "privilege notice" in the Speaker's office against Tharoor for allegedly misusing his power

A day after Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information and Technology could not meet to question government officials on the Pegasus spyware owing to the refusal of BJP members to attend it, panel Chairman Shashi Tharoor on Thursday rued that "some elements" have chosen to reduce this committee to some sort of a "ping pong match".

BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, who had on Wednesday accused TMC MP and panel member Mahua Moitra of calling him a "Bihari Gunda" on Thursday raised the issue in the Lok Sabha.

"I want to draw the attention of all members of this House. This is my 13th year as an MP and the way I was called... yesterday by a woman, by Trinamool Congress, I have not seen this in my life," Dubey said.

The phrase Dubey claimed was used against him was later expunged by the Chair.

Also read: Parliamentary panel meeting to question govt officials on Pegasus postponed due to lack of quorum

Seeking to rake up the "insult" of North Indians by TMC MP at a time when its chief Mamata Banerjee is in the national capital meeting Opposition leaders and building an anti-Modi front, Dubey said in Lok Sabha, "What is our mistake? Our mistake is in developing this country. We have worked as labourers, as Hindi-speaking people whether from Uttar Pradesh or Madhya Pradesh... we have worked hard".

However, Dubey did not name the TMC member in the House. Moitra denied the charge saying Dubey was not even present in the panel meeting.

While Dubey had on Wednesday tagged TMC and Mamata Banerjee while making the allegation against Moitra, some BJP leaders had latched on to his tweet to paint the TMC as an anti-Hindi belt.

Speaking outside Parliament, Tharoor said he was very "disappointed" that the panel meeting that was set to question government officials on Wednesday on the Pegasus spyware issue had to be postponed due to lack of quorum.

BJP members of the panel who were present in the meeting room didn't sign the attendance register in protest leading to a lack of quorum.

To a question BJP MP Nishikant Dubey having moved a "privilege motion" against him, Tharoor said, "it has no validity as no constituted procedure was followed in introducing Privilege Motion, which requires Speaker to get the consent of the House consent and 25 members to stand and support it."

Dubey rejected Tharoors' contentions saying the Congress MP is unaware of the rules and has gone into "frustration" because he is focussed more on becoming the leader of his party in Lok Sabha, replacing Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.

Dubey and Tharoor have in past also moved privilege motions against each other and the meetings in the Parliamentary panel on IT, which has dominance of the members of the BJP, has frequently seen clashes on political lines.

Also read: Fresh bid to resolve Parliament stalemate fails; Opposition says govt attempt just optics

Replying to questions about divisions among the panel's members along political lines, Tharoor seemed to suggest that this is something unusual that is happening this time. He said he was the former union minister noted that he was earlier also the chairman of the parliamentary committee on external affairs for five years where its members worked in an extremely amicable and cooperative spirit.

"How can I tell you about a meeting which never happened? I am completely unaware if somebody allegedly said something at a meeting that never took place to somebody who was not there. How am I to be concerned about it?", Tharoor said when asked about Mahua Moitra allegedly calling Dubey a "Bihari gunda" when the panel members had assembled for the meeting.

"BJP members come to the IT Committee and refuse to sign the attendance register to deny a quorum. Further, all the witnesses called from MiEIT and MHA wrote in excuses and didn't appear as called to testify. It's very clear that Pegasus is a no go area for this government," Congress member in the panel Karti Chidambaram had said.