NEW DELHI: Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has written to Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday, stating that for the first time in parliamentary history, the Speaker, on the behest of the government, has been forced to prevent the LoP from speaking on the President’s Address.
In his letter, Rahul Gandhi said the right of the Leader of the Opposition and of every Member of Parliament to speak is integral to democracy, and denial of this right has created an unprecedented situation.
“This is a blot on our democracy, against which I record my strongest protest,” he wrote.
Rahul Gandhi pointed out that during the discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address on Monday, the Speaker had directed him to authenticate a magazine he intended to cite.
He said that he complied with the direction and authenticated the document when he resumed his speech on Tuesday.
Citing long-standing parliamentary convention and past rulings of Speakers, Gandhi said that once a member authenticates a document and assumes responsibility for its contents, the Speaker ordinarily permits its reference in the House.
"Thereafter, it is for the government to respond, and the Chair’s role stands concluded," he added.
“Preventing me from speaking in the Lok Sabha not only violates this convention, but also gives rise to a serious concern that there is a deliberate attempt to prevent me, in my capacity as Leader of the Opposition, from speaking on matters of national security,” he wrote.
He noted that national security formed a key part of the President’s Address and therefore required discussion in Parliament.
He also reminded the Speaker that as the impartial custodian of the House, it is his constitutional and parliamentary responsibility to safeguard the rights of all members, including those in the Opposition.
Speaking to TNIE in an exclusive interview, Manickam Tagore, one of the eight MPs suspended from the Lok Sabha for the remainder of the Budget session, said, "I have been a Member of Parliament for the past 12 years and have seen how leaders of the opposition such as Sushma Swaraj, then Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, and now Rahul Gandhi, are being treated under different regimes. Unfortunately, the manner in which Rahul Gandhi is being treated by the ruling party is particularly unfair."
He said, "As the LoP, Rahul Gandhi was allotted four hours to speak on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address. However, throughout his speech, at least four ministers continuously disrupted him."
Tagore added, "The government does not want Rahul Gandhi to speak because it knows he will raise uncomfortable questions on the Epstein files, the India-China border issue, and the India-US trade deal."