Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday accused the government of stifling the voice of the Opposition, claiming that he has not been allowed to speak in the House for the past several days. His remarks come amid ongoing disruptions and heated exchanges in Parliament.
"I don't know what is going on...I requested him to let me speak but he (Speaker) just ran away. This is no way to run the House. Speaker just left and he did not let me speak...he said something unsubstantiated about me...he adjourned the House, there was no need," he said.
"There is a convention that the Leader of Opposition is allowed to speak. However, whenever I stand to speak, I am not allowed. I don't know how the House is functioning. We are not being allowed to say what we want," Gandhi said. He further added, "The whole spirit of democracy is being compromised. I have been sitting silently, yet I was not given the opportunity to speak. There is no place for the Opposition... only for the government. The Prime Minister spoke about the Kumbh Mela, I wanted to speak too but was denied the chance."
Meanwhile, the Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Wednesday spoke about the importance of maintaining decorum and following procedural rules.
It was not immediately clear what was the reason for the Speaker to make the observation, reported PTI.
"Several instances have come to my notice where the conduct of members does not conform to the high standards expected in the House," the Speaker said. He specifically cited Rule 349, which outlines the rules to be observed by members, adding, "In this House, father and daughter, mother and daughter, husband and wife have been members. In this context, I expect the Leader of the Opposition to conduct himself in accordance with the rules."
However, in a post on X, BJP's IT department head Amit Malviya suggested that the Speaker's remarks were prompted by Rahul Gandhi affectionately cupping the cheeks of his sister and MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra during the proceedings a few days back.
After Birla's pointed remarks, Congress MPs trooped into his office to lodge their complaint over Gandhi "repeatedly" not being allowed to speak in the Lok Sabha.
Their enquiry into the reason behind the Speaker's comments was also futile, a few of them said.
Tagging a video clip, Malviya in his post on X said, "It is disgraceful that the Lok Sabha Speaker has to remind Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition, about basic parliamentary decorum.
The fact that Congress has imposed this puerile man upon us is truly unfortunate.
" The clip of undated proceedings in the Lok Sabha showed Gandhi walking through the aisle, turning to Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and cupping her face affectionately, while his party colleague Manickam Tagore was speaking in the House.
(With inputs from Agencies)