Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Feb 9: The heated exchanges inside the Lok Sabha spilled beyond Parliament on Monday, with Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi launching a sharp attack on the Union government, accusing it of fearing open debate and resorting to what he termed “ill-founded and untenable” conspiracy claims to silence the Opposition.
Speaking to reporters after the House was adjourned, Rahul Gandhi levelled a series of allegations against the Narendra Modi government and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, claiming that different standards were being applied to ruling party and Opposition lawmakers with the intent of muzzling dissent.
At the centre of the controversy was Rahul Gandhi’s reference to the memoirs of former Army Chief General M.M. Naravane. He claimed the book had already been published and alleged that the government was preventing him from citing “uncomfortable facts” from it in Parliament — an assertion strongly denied by the Centre.
“The defence minister lied about the book. It has been published and is in the public domain. Yet when we tried to raise it, the Leader of the Opposition was stopped from quoting it,” Rahul Gandhi said.
Reacting to insinuations made by the Speaker about a “planned attack” on Prime Minister Narendra Modi by Opposition MPs, Rahul Gandhi dismissed the claim as baseless and a diversion from substantive issues. “If there is any truth to this, an FIR should be filed immediately and those involved must face the law,” he demanded.
The Congress leader also pointed to the passage of the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address on February 5 without a reply from the Prime Minister, alleging that Modi’s response was dropped at the last moment following what he described as the Speaker’s advice.
Expressing disappointment over parliamentary conduct, Rahul Gandhi alleged that BJP members were allowed to make “vile and disparaging” remarks against former Congress Prime Ministers, while Opposition MPs were blocked, curtailed, or suspended for voicing protest. During the debate on the Motion of Thanks, at least eight Opposition MPs were suspended after tearing papers and throwing them toward the Chair.
The latest confrontation comes amid continuing deadlock in the Lok Sabha, marked by repeated clashes between the government and the Opposition. Leaders from both sides met Speaker Om Birla on Monday, and Rahul Gandhi later indicated that he had been assured of an opportunity to speak on certain issues, excluding the Union Budget.
The BJP, however, rejected Rahul Gandhi’s claims of any such assurances and accused the Congress of deliberately disrupting proceedings by raising matters barred under the Official Secrets Act.
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala dismissed Rahul Gandhi’s assertion that the memoirs were in the public domain, accusing him of selectively quoting from an unpublished manuscript and violating parliamentary norms. “Rahul Gandhi is openly breaching the Official Secrets Act, abusing the Chair, and disregarding parliamentary conventions,” Poonawala said, warning that legal consequences could follow.
He further stated that the memoirs, which reportedly discuss the 2020 Galwan face-off between India and China, are still under examination by the Defence Ministry and have not received clearance for publication.
As the standoff continues, the Lok Sabha remains caught in a cycle of adjournments, underscoring the deepening divide between the government and the Opposition.