NEW DELHI: The Lok Sabha witnessed noisy scenes on Tuesday as Congress members raised the issue of withdrawal of SPG cover of party president Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
As Speaker Om Birla took up Question Hour, more than 20 Congress members trooped into the Well of the House and began shouting slogans against the government. Birla repeatedly requested the protesting members to go back to their seats as the questions sought to be raised were about farmers’ issues. Amid sloganeering by Congress MPs, the Speaker warned that he would be forced to take action against members protesting in the well.
After the notice of adjournment motion given by the Congress on the withdrawal of SPG security of the Gandhis was rejected by the Speaker, party leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury raised the issue during Zero Hour. He said the family faces threat to life and the cover by the elite security organisation should not have been withdrawn.
The Congress leader said the previous NDA government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee also had not removed the SPG cover of the Gandhis.
However, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal said Chowdhury cannot raise the issue in Zero Hour as he had not given a notice in this regard. “You have rejected the notice for adjournment on the issue. He did not give notice to raise the issue in Zero Hour,” the minister told the Chair.
Rahul Gandhi missing, Speaker takes note
The Speaker took note of Rahul Gandhi’s absence from the House. “His (Rahul’s) question was listed for the Question Hour and I wanted to give him a chance had he been present,” Birla remarked when K Suresh got up to speak during Zero Hour from Gandhi’s seat.
The Speaker asked Suresh to move to his designated seat and continue. As per the LS schedule, question number 28 was listed against the name of Gandhi. The question pertained to Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana for Kerala.