On 21 April 2026, Congress MP KC Venugopal submitted a privilege notice to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The notice alleges that Modi, during his televised address to the nation on 18 April 2026, cast aspersions on Members of Parliament following the defeat of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha. The Bill, which sought to implement women's reservation and increase Lok Sabha seats, failed to secure the required two-thirds majority.
According to Deccan Herald, Venugopal's notice claims that the Prime Minister's remarks were "unprecedented," "unethical," and amounted to a "blatant misuse of power." The Congress leader stated that Modi's criticism of opposition MPs for the Bill's defeat constituted a serious breach of privilege and contempt of the House.
As reported by The Indian Express, the notice specifically objects to Modi's analogy of the Bill's defeat to "foeticide" of the women's quota and his direct references to the voting patterns of opposition MPs. Venugopal argued that such statements undermine the dignity and authority of Parliament and interfere with the independent discharge of parliamentary duties.
In the notice, Venugopal emphasised that it is a time-honoured parliamentary convention and a fundamental privilege of MPs that no person, including the Prime Minister, should reflect upon the conduct or voting of any member or attribute motives to such conduct. Coverage revealed that the Congress leader urged the Speaker to take immediate steps to uphold the sanctity of Parliament and protect the constitutional rights of its members.
Venugopal's letter to the Speaker stated, "Any such reflection or imputation directly undermines the dignity and authority of the House and interferes with the free and independent discharge of Parliamentary duties by its members. Apart from the violation of the Model Code of Conduct, the Prime Minister’s speech on national television…amounts to a clear and serious breach of privilege of the House and of every member of the Opposition."
In addition to the privilege notice, opposition parties, including Congress, CPI(M), and CPI, approached the Election Commission, alleging that Modi's address violated the Model Code of Conduct in force due to ongoing Assembly elections. Reporting indicated that the notice was submitted under Rule 222 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha, formally questioning the Prime Minister's conduct.
During a press conference, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge criticised Modi for "terrorising" political parties and misusing government machinery. Analysis showed that Kharge accused the Prime Minister of misleading the public regarding the women's reservation Bill and of using central agencies to intimidate opposition parties.
"It is appalling that the Prime Minister who wanted this Constitution Amendment Bill to pass was so annoyed that he chose to address the nation casting aspersions on the MPs who were honestly performing their duties, in this case protecting the Constitution," Venugopal stated in his notice.
Further details emerged as details emerged that the privilege notice also referenced the Prime Minister's use of national television to criticise opposition parties, which the Congress described as a misuse of executive power and a violation of parliamentary norms.
Note: This article is produced using AI-assisted tools and is based on publicly available information. It has been reviewed by The Quint's editorial team before publishing.