'This Is Unfortunate': Rijiju Schools Jairam Ramesh Over ‘Live Posts’ From All-Party Meet Amid Row

Union parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju on Sunday criticised Congress veteran Jairam Ramesh for ‘live-tweeting’ the issues raised by different parties at an all-party meeting.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) went on to say that Congress must send a “more seasoned hand” next time to such meetings.

“This is unfortunate… Everyone must maintain the sanctity, propriety and protocol of Parliamentary traditions,” Rijiju said.

It was Jairam Ramesh’s post on social media site X (formerly Twitter) that led to the debate on decorum that must be maintained during parliamentary proceedings.

Ramesh, who attended the meeting, posted on X while the deliberations were going on, “In today’s all-party meeting of floor leaders chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, the JD(U) leader demanded special category status for Bihar. The YSRCP leader demanded special category status for Andhra Pradesh. Strangely, the TDP leader kept quiet on the matter.”

He, in a separate post, also listed out what the Congress wanted to be discussed during the upcoming Parliament session.

JD(U) leader Sanjay Kumar Jha, who also attended the all-party meeting, pointed out on X that what was being discussed at the all-party meeting was being ‘live-tweeted’ by a Congress leader. “I wish this senior Congress leader had respected the sanctity of the Parliamentary proceedings,” he said, without naming Ramesh.

Soon after, BJP spokesperson Amit Malviya in a post on X criticised the Congress veteran and said there is a certain propriety and protocol one associates with these all-party meetings.

“Look at Jairam Ramesh’s timeline and it appears he was live tweeting the proceedings. Next time, the Congress should consider sending a more seasoned hand for these meetings,” he said.