CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) president K Selvaperunthagai on Friday accused Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla of violating parliamentary conventions and acting in a partisan manner to shield the BJP-led union government from serious questions on national security.
Referring to the debate on the motion of thanks to the President’s address, he said opposition parties attempted to raise issues such as the India-US agreement and alleged Chinese incursions. When opposition leader Rahul Gandhi sought to quote from former Army Chief General MM Naravane’s autobiography, BJP members objected, and the speaker disallowed the reference. However, the TNCC chief alleged that the speaker allowed BJP MP Nishikant Dubey to cite passages from controversial books critical of Jawaharlal Nehru and Congress leaders, exposing “double standards”.
He said Naravane’s account suggested that political leadership failed to respond decisively when Chinese troops reportedly crossed into the Indian territory in 2020. Rahul Gandhi only highlighted these concerns, he said.