BJP MP Sanjay Jaiswal gives privilege notice against Pappu Yadav over 'sadhu' attire in Parliament

In his privilege notice submitted to the Lok Sabha Speaker in terms of Rule 222 read with Rule 223 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha. "I request that the matter be admitted and, if you deem fit, referred to the Committee of Privileges under Rule 227 for detailed examination," stated Sanjay Jaiswal.

BJP Lok Sabha MP Jaiswal has mentioned grounds of the Motion and said, "Conduct unbecoming of a Member and lowering the dignity of the House. On 31st July, 2026, Pappu Yadav, MP, staged a scripted enactment at Makar Dwar, within the Parliament Complex, wearing attire associated with a Hindu Sadhu and carrying a photograph/idol of Lord Ram, portraying a temple priest collecting offerings from "devotees" and pocketing the money instead of depositing it in the donation box, while other Members and slogans accompanied the act. The said conduct has been widely perceived as a deliberate and theatrical act intended to ridicule, mock or trivialise Hindu religious symbols and sentiments, undertaken in connection with allegations concerning donation irregularities at Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir, Ayodhya," said Jaiswal.

Sanjay Jaiswal further added in Notice that Parliament House is not a venue for theatrical or symbolic provocation of this nature, and such conduct is not mere political expression but tends to lower the dignity, seriousness and moral authority of the House and of its Members collectively.

According to the complaint, the gravity of the hurt caused is further borne out by the fact that seers and members of the public in Varanasi and Delhi have since lodged police complaints against Pappu Yadav alleging that the enactment hurt the religious sentiments of the Hindu community, and that religious bodies have called for protests across the country in protest against the said conduct.

Jaiswal added that the rules themselves recognise that the dignity and discipline of the House are not confined to the floor of the Chamber but extend to the wider precincts of Parliament House.

This is reinforced by rule 232, which prohibits arrest within the precincts of the House, and by the corresponding prohibition on service of legal process within the precincts, both of which treat the precincts as continuous with the House for the purpose of extending its protections.

"Theatrics of the kind described above, though committed at Makar Dwar and not within the Chamber, therefore fall squarely within the mischief that the Rules of Procedure seek to guard against, and cannot be permitted to escape scrutiny merely on account of location within the larger precincts of Parliament House," he added

Jaiswal further added that violation of the standard of conduct expected of a Member under Rule 349. Rule 349 requires every Member to maintain conduct befitting the dignity of the House. In particular, Rule 349(xiv) bars a Member from wearing or displaying badges of any kind in the House, and Rule 349(xvi) bars a Member from displaying flags, emblems or exhibits in the House.

" I submit this Notice not in a partisan spirit, but to preserve the sanctity of Parliament, uphold constitutional values, and protect the dignity of the House from conduct that may diminish its stature in the eyes of the nation. I remain available to furnish any further particulars, including video and photographic record of the conduct complained of, as may be required by the Chair or the Committee," he added. (ANI)