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Rahul Gandhi claims he was gagged as Parliament session kicks off amid chaos

Rahul Gandhi claims he was gagged as Parliament session kicks off amid chaos

India Today7 days ago
As the first day of Parliament's Monsoon Session descended into chaos, adjournments and walkout, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged bias, saying he was not allowed to speak in the Lok Sabha despite being the Leader of the Opposition."Defence Minister and others from the government are allowed to speak, but Opposition leaders are not allowed to speak. I am the Leader of Opposition, it is my right to speak, but they don't let me speak," Gandhi told reporters outside Parliament after the house adjourned.advertisementTaking a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Gandhi said he "ran out of the House in a second".
"The debate will happen if they allow it, but the issue is that the victim states that if the people from the government say something, we should also be given space. We wanted to say two words, but the opposition was not allowed," he said. Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who also spoke to the media outside Parliament, slammed the move, saying Rahul Gandhi should be allowed to speak. "If they (the government) are ready for discussion, they should let the Leader of the Opposition speak. He has stood up to speak, so he should be allowed to speak," she said.CHAOS, ADJOURNMENTS AND WALKOUT ON DAY 1Uproar erupted in both Houses of Parliament soon after proceedings began, with the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha adjourned twice following the Opposition's demand for an immediate discussion on Operation Sindoor.In the Lok Sabha, Opposition leaders raised slogans and staged a protest in the Well of the House as proceedings began. The Speaker assured them that a discussion would be held after Question Hour, which led to chaos. When the House resumed after an adjournment, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju urged the Opposition members to raise their demands at the meeting of the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) scheduled for 2.30 pm on Monday."The Government is ready to respond to all issues that the Speaker agrees to take up at the BAC meeting. But raising slogans and disrupting the House on the first day of the Monsoon Session is unacceptable," Rijiju said in the House.Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also assured Opposition MPs that the government was prepared for an extensive discussion on any issue approved by the Speaker. "The Government is willing to discuss any topic the Opposition wishes. Whatever time they need, the Government is ready to answer all their questions," he said.However, the Opposition continued sloganeering, after which the Speaker asked them to "go outside the House for sloganeering" and adjourned the session.In the Rajya Sabha, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge led the Opposition's charge, raising concerns over Operation Sindoor and former US President Donald Trump's repeated claims of mediating between India and Pakistan. Amid loud sloganeering, BJP President JP Nadda responded, reaffirming the government's willingness to hold a discussion.advertisement"I have given notice under Rule 267 regarding the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor. The Pahalgam attack occurred on April 22, and to date, the terrorists have not been caught or neutralised. All parties had extended unconditional support to the government. The government must inform us about the developments," Kharge said.He added, "US President Trump has claimed 24 times that the ceasefire happened solely because of his intervention. This is an insult to our country."Responding to this, JP Nadda said, "We are willing and eager to discuss Operation Sindoor". "There should be no impression that we are avoiding the discussion. There has never been an operation like this, the kind carried out under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi. The Indian government is fully prepared to provide all details and engage in a thorough discussion on Operation Sindoor," he added.The Opposition members staged a walkout from the Rajya Sabha as the discussion continued.- EndsTune InMust Watch
IN THIS STORY#Parliament
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