Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has once again accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party of preventing him from speaking in Parliament. The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said on Thursday that he is repeatedly denied the opportunity to speak, questioning what the government is afraid of.
"I am never allowed to speak. I don’t know what they are scared of," Gandhi remarked while heading towards the Parliament.
His comments follow a similar allegation made on Wednesday, when he claimed that he was denied a chance to address the House. According to him, there is a long-standing convention that allows the Leader of Opposition to speak when they rise to do so.
"I don’t know what is going on… I requested him to let me speak… This is no way to run the House. The Speaker just left and did not let me speak… He said something unsubstantiated about me and then adjourned the House, which was unnecessary. It is a convention that the LoP is given time to speak. Whenever I stand up, I am stopped from speaking. I did nothing; I was quietly sitting," Gandhi told reporters.
He further stated that democracy requires space for both the government and the opposition, but in the current scenario, there seems to be no room for opposition voices.
Gandhi also expressed frustration that he was not allowed to speak on key issues, including the Maha Kumbh Mela and unemployment.
"The Prime Minister spoke about the Maha Kumbh Mela, and I also wanted to speak about it. I wanted to say that the Kumbh Mela was very good. I also wanted to speak on unemployment, but I wasn’t allowed. I don’t know what the Speaker’s approach or thinking is, but the truth is that we were not allowed," he said.
His remarks have drawn reactions from the opposition, with several leaders condemning the government’s actions. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi criticised the central government, calling the repeated denial of speaking rights to the LoP "extremely unfortunate."
"This has become a pattern with the BJP. Whenever they don’t want the House to function, they bring up the most ridiculous charges. Even last time, both Houses were adjourned, and nobody knew why. The LoP has the right to respond," Chaturvedi told the media agency.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut also reacted sharply, warning that preventing the Leader of Opposition from speaking sets a dangerous precedent for democracy.
"Rahul Gandhi is the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha. If such a leader is not allowed to speak inside Parliament by the Speaker, then it is a dangerous time for democracy. Why conduct Parliament at all if the opposition is to be silenced?" Raut said.
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