The Congress on Wednesday moved a privilege motion against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha for posting on social media the speech of BJP MP Anurag Singh Thakur that included caste remarks expunged by the Speaker.

Participating in the discussion on the budget in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, Thakur obliquely targeted the leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, by saying that “those who did not know their caste were talking of (caste) enumeration”. This had led to a huge uproar in the House with Rahul terming the remarks as “personal abuse” and stating that he would continue to fight for a caste census in the country.

Modi, who was not present in the House, shared the video of the speech on X and heaped praise on Thakur. “This speech by my young and energetic colleague Shri @ianuragthakur is a must hear. A perfect mix of facts and humour, exposing the dirty politics of the INDI Alliance,” Modi’s post had said.

The privilege notice submitted to the Speaker under rule 22 was moved by the Congress’s Charanjit Singh Channi, former Punjab chief minister and now Lok Sabha member from Jalandhar. “Yesterday, certain objectionable remarks made by Shri Anurag Singh Thakur were expunged from the proceedings of the House by the Speaker, Lok Sabha… it was shocking to note that the expunged portions were posted by the Prime Minister on X along with the whole speech video,” Channi told reporters.

The Congress MP in his notice referred to the rules stating that “publication of the expunged words or expressions would amount to a breach of privilege”, stressing that the Prime Minister posting the “expunged remarks” clearly amounts to a “breach of privilege and contempt of the House”.

“I, therefore, contemplate to move a Privilege Motion against the Prime Minister and request you to please admit my motion and permit me to move the same. Request that privilege proceedings may be initiated against the Prime Minister,” Channi said in his letter to the Speaker.

Members are allowed to move breach of privilege motions but the power to admit those rests with the Speaker. Once admitted, the Speaker sends the notice to the Privileges Committee of the House to examine the issue and give a ruling.

“In Parliament, you don’t ask anyone’s caste. This has been done deliberately to insult. Even the Prime Minister should not support such indecent things,” Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge told reporters.

Earlier, the Congress and other Opposition members raised slogans demanding an apology from Thakur. Slogans seeking a “caste census” were also raised. Responding to this, parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju accused the Opposition of “trying to divide the country”.

Speaker Om Birla continued with Question Hour in the din but adjourned the House for 15 minutes pre-noon.