Rahul Gandhi says not being allowed to speak in Parliament, cites democratic right to respond to allegations

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said that he wanted to speak on the floor of the House and respond to the allegations levelled against him by four BJP ministers. Rahul’s remark came at a press conference held today afternoon, shortly after both houses of Parliament were adjourned for the day amid sloganeering by the Treasury and Opposition benches. The BJP has been demanding that Rahul apologise for his remark on Indian democracy in Parliament.

“I went to Parliament this morning with the idea of putting what I said or what I feel on the floor of the House. Four ministers have raised allegations against me in Parliament. It is my right to be allowed to speak on the floor of the House. I requested the Speaker, and went to his Chamber and requested him that I would very much like to speak. I told him that people from the BJP have made allegations against me and as an MP, it is my right to speak,” Rahul said.

Earlier today, Rahul Gandhi arrived at the Parliament at around 12:30 PM to attend the Budget Session of the Parliament. The Lok Sabha was adjourned after the House met at 11 AM and ruckus ensued by members of the House, following which Speaker Om Birla called off the proceedings till 2 PM. As the House reconvened at 2 PM, Kirit Solanki, who was in the Chair, adjourned the House for the day, just a minute after reconvening, amid sloganeering by Opposition and treasury benches.

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“He was non-committal. In his way, he smiled. But I am hopeful that I will be allowed to speak tomorrow. What is going on here? The story started the day I gave my speech in Parliament about Mr. Adani (Gautam Adani), and I asked some fundamental questions to the PM about his relationship with the businessman, about how Mr. Adani is being given pretty much the entire India-Israel defence relationship, how he is being given the Bombay airport, other airports, how rules have been changed to be allowed to be given these things,” Gandhi, MP from Kerala’s Wayanad, added.

“The government and Prime Minister are scared of the Adani issue and that’s why they prepared this ‘tamasha’ (drama). I feel I won’t be allowed to speak in Parliament. The main question is still in the table of what is the relation between Modi and Adani,” the Congress leader further said.

Recently, speaking at Cambridge University’s Judge Business School, Gandhi had said that the “Indian democracy is under attack”.

“Everybody knows and it’s been in the news a lot that Indian democracy is under pressure, is under attack, right. I’m an Opposition leader in India and we’re navigating that space. What’s happening, the institutional framework which is required for a democracy – Parliament, a free press, the Judiciary, just the idea of mobilisation, just the idea of moving around, these are all getting constrained. So we are facing an attack on the basic structure of Indian democracy in the Constitution,” the Congress MP had said.