New Delhi, April 22 -- Congress lawmaker KC Venugopal has submitted a privilege notice against Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, accusing him of casting aspersions on opposition MPs during his address to the nation after a constitution amendment bill seeking to increase the number of seats in the Lower House to implement the women's reservation was defeated in the House. In his notice submitted under Rule 222 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha, the Congress leader alleged that the Prime Minister's remarks on April 18 amounted to "imputing motives" to members for their voting behaviour - an act he claimed was a "deliberate breach of privilege and contempt of the House". Venugopal urged the Speaker to refer the matter to the Lok Sabha's Committee on Privileges for a detailed inquiry. "It is well established that casting reflections, aspersions and imputing motives to members of Parliament in regard to speeches made by them in Parliament tantamount to a gross breach of privilege and contempt of the House," the Congress general secretary and Kerala MP said. The notice comes in the backdrop of the government's failure to secure the constitutionally mandated two-third majority for the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 in the Lok Sabha on April 17. The legislation, linking delimitation based on the 2011 census to women's reservation, was defeated after a rare show of Opposition unity. A day later, the Prime Minister addressed the nation on national television, criticising Opposition parties for blocking the bill and referring to their voting patterns in Parliament. Hitting back, the Congress said attributing motives to MPs for their parliamentary conduct undermines the autonomy and dignity of the legislature. In his notice, Venugopal contended that parliamentary conventions - backed by constitutional safeguards under Article 105 - clearly prohibit any reflection on the conduct or voting of members, and that such statements interfere with the free discharge of their duties. The issue also spilled beyond Parliament....