Rahul Gandhi & opposition MPs are being gagged, INDIA bloc tells Om Birla

NEW DELHI: Expressing concern over “disturbing trends” that are “undermining” the sanctity of Parliament and the “practice of fairness”, a joint opposition Thursday complained to Speaker Om Birla that leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi was being repeatedly denied the opportunity to speak in contravention of parliamentary norms, and microphones of opposition members were being switched off frequently while BJP MPs were allowed to speak freely.

INDIA bloc’s letter of grievances was submitted to Birla a day after he singled out Rahul as he asked members to adhere to Lok Sabha decorum. It sought immediate corrective measures to restore “fairness and transparency”.

A delegation of Gaurav Gogoi, Kodikunnil Suresh, K C Venugopal (Congress), A Raja (DMK), Supriya Sule (NCP), Dharmendra Yadav (SP), Kalyan Banerjee (TMC), N K Premachandran (RSP), Arvind Sawant (Shiv Sena), Francis George (KC) among others met Birla. Gogoi said they complained to Birla that his advisory to Rahul on Wednesday did not refer to any incident, but it had become ready fodder for BJP and its IT cell for “politicisation” and “propaganda”.

Accusing govt of disregarding parliamentary procedures and norms, the letter stated that every MP should be given equal opportunity to participate. The letter lamented that a deputy speaker has not been appointed since 2019, despite it being mandatory.

It also criticised “intervention” by the Speaker’s office in the functioning of Parliamentary standing committees by “suggesting corrections in committee reports” — which compromises the autonomy of the panels. The letter said that opposition parties are not being consulted on the composition and chairmanship of Parliamentary committees panels and some “consultative committees” do not meet regularly. It slammed the denial of opportunity to Rahul Gandhi to speak in LS, in what appeared a reference to the Chair turning him down on Wednesday after the Speaker’s censure, and after PM Narendra Modi’s speech on Kumbh last week. “This breaks from past Parliamentary practices and diminishes the space for healthy debate in the House,” the letter said.

Importantly, INDIA bloc said key ministries had been left out of budget discussions, “reducing Parliamentary oversight over financial decisions”. In an echo of its old grievance, the opposition said Rule 193, which allows debates on urgent public issues without voting, is rarely invoked now, “thereby avoiding accountability on pressing national matters”.
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