'I'm Not Allowed to Speak': Rahul Gandhi's Scathing Attack on Lok Sabha Speaker
New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has made a big allegation against the Speaker. Talking to the media outside the Parliament, he said that whenever he stands up to present his point in the Lok Sabha, he is not allowed to speak. "I do not know how the House is functioning. There is a convention that the Leader of Opposition is allowed to speak. Whenever I stand up, I am not allowed to speak. I do not know how the House is running. Whatever we want to say here, we are not allowed to say," Gandhi said.
He further added, "I have not done anything, I was sitting very quietly. I did not speak a single word. I have not been allowed to speak for the last 7-8 days." Gandhi also mentioned that he wanted to support Prime Minister Modi's statement on the Maha Kumbh Mela but was not allowed to speak. "That day Prime Minister Modi spoke about the Maha Kumbh Mela, in which I wanted to add my point. I wanted to say that it is very good that the Maha Kumbh Mela took place. I wanted to say something about unemployment. But, I was not allowed to speak."
He emphasized that in a democratic system, the Leader of the Opposition should be given a chance to speak, but this is not happening. "In democracy there is a place for the government and the opposition, but here there is no place for the opposition. Here there is only a place for the government." Gandhi's allegation came after Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla advised him to follow the conduct and decorum of the House, implying that some incidents were not suitable for the House.
Earlier, Gandhi had said on Prime Minister Modi's statement on Maha Kumbh that he wanted to support the statement. "Kumbh is our tradition, culture, history. There was a complaint that the Prime Minister did not pay tribute to those who died. The youth who went to Maha Kumbh want employment from the Prime Minister and the Prime Minister should have spoken on that as well." Gandhi reiterated that in a democratic system, the Leader of the Opposition should have been given a chance to speak. "But, they do not let them speak, this is New India."
