'Blot on democracy': Rahul writes to LS Speaker; says 'prevented' from speaking in House

NEW DELHI: Leader of absorption successful the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi connected Tuesday wrote a missive to Speaker Om Birla, registering his "strongest protest" connected not being allowed to talk connected the President's address.Gandhi described this arsenic a "blot connected our democracy."On Monday, the treasury benches objected to the Congress MP quoting an excerpt from an unpublished publication by erstwhile Army Chief General MM Naravane (retired) connected the India-China clashes successful Ladakh successful June 2020. They argued that House rules prohibit a subordinate from citing a publication that has not yet been published.Naravane was the Army Chief astatine the time.“By long-standing convention, a subordinate who wishes to notation to a papers successful the House is required to authenticate it and affirm work for its contents.

Once this request is fulfilled, the Speaker allows the subordinate to punctuation oregon notation to the document. Thereafter, it becomes the work of the authorities to respond, and the relation of the Chair stands concluded,” Gandhi wrote successful his missive to Birla.

The Raebareli MP added that being “prevented” from speaking is not lone a usurpation of this normal but besides reflects what helium called a “deliberate attempt” to halt him from addressing the House successful his capableness arsenic the LoP.

“The close of the LoP and of each subordinate to talk is integral to our democracy. The refusal of these basal antiauthoritarian rights has led to an unprecedented situation. For the archetypal clip successful parliamentary history, connected the behest of the government, the Speaker has been forced to forestall the LoP from speaking connected the President’s address. This is simply a blot connected our democracy, against which I registry my strongest protest,” helium added.Gandhi has alleged that the authorities is “scared” of what is written successful the book. He attempted to talk connected the contented connected Tuesday arsenic good but was again incapable to bash so.