BJP – Opposition Squabble over Rahul Gandhi Remarks, Parliament Non- Functional for the Second Day

Manas Dasgupta

NEW DELHI, Mar 14: Both houses of Parliament were adjourned for the day on Tuesday for the second day running as the ruling BJP and the opposition squabbled over the Congress member Rahul Gandhi having “insulted” Parliament and the opposition demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the Adani-Hindenburg row.

The BJP was insistent Gandhi offer a public apology for remarks delivered at a Cambridge University speech and events in London, and the Congress has claimed the BJP has, in fact, insulted Parliament and needed to apologise. Both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were adjourned soon after they met as the heated exchange between the BJP and Congress over Gandhi’s remarks in London over democracy in India continued for the second day.

Stepping up the BJP’s offensive against Rahul Gandhi, Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday said Parliament cannot sit and watch as a member goes abroad and talks against the democracy of India. Piyush Goyal picked up where he and his colleagues left off on Monday declaring, “Yesterday (Monday) we had raised a very important issue… the manner in which India was insulted and its institutions, including the Parliament, were insulted.”

“Both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha are part of Parliament, which have been insulted. I feel this is the first time the entire Parliament was insulted.”

“Constitutional provisions say we all should condemn such a behaviour and the person concerned should apologise,” the BJP leader – who did not name Gandhi – continued amid the din and said, “The entire world is watching… how will India respond to this serious issue?”

The Wayanad MP is drawing fire from the BJP over his remarks at a London event, in which he said India’s institutions are under attack and a large chunk of Indian democracy had “come undone.”

The BJP has demanded an apology from Mr Gandhi and said MPs from all parties must condemn his remarks. The Congress, however, has trashed the ruling party’s allegations and said “those crushing democracy are talking of saving it.” The party has maintained that Gandhi had not said anything objectionable requiring an apology.

The opposition responded by demanding a JPC (joint parliamentary committee) probe into the Adani-Hindenburg row, and the resultant disarray forced an adjournment till 2 pm and later for the day.

On Tuesday morning, a battery of top ministers attended a meeting in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s office to fine-tune the ruling party’s strategy in Parliament. Union ministers Pralhad Joshi, Anurag Thakur, Piyush Goyal, Nitin Gadkari and Kiren Rijiju attended the meeting.

“We cannot sit quiet and watch everything. A member of the House goes to foreign country and talks against the democracy of India. I am shocked that some parties are also backing him. I appeal to all parties to criticise how a senior MP tried to defame Parliament on foreign land,” Goyal said in Rajya Sabha amid protest by Congress members.

Joining his party’s all-out attack against Gandhi, Union Minister Anurag Thakur raked up the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. “He is saying minorities are under attack. What happened in 1984 when thousands of Sikhs were killed? Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi have protected those responsible,” he alleged.

Congress’ Shaktisinh Gohil has filed a breach of privilege notice against Goyal, Leader of the House. “Mr Goyal criticised a Member of the Lok Sabha without truth and was intentionally going on with derogatory remarks,” Gohil said in his notice. The Congress member cited examples when the chair had ruled that no member can make allegations against a member of another House. “No opposition member has ever raised an issue regarding critical remarks made by honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi on foreign soil,” the Congress MP said.

Congress’ Deputy Leader in Lok Sabha, Manickam Tagore, has said there is no question of an apology. “The question does not arise. He said nothing wrong. Those from RSS apologise, those from the Congress don’t. He has rightly said the voice of people is being suppressed,” he said. In a Twitter post, Tagore put up remarks made by the Prime Minister overseas and said he must apologise for insulting India abroad. “Yes Prime Minister Narendra ji must apologise, he insulted India aboard. Like Savarkar he can, he will,” the Congress leader wrote.

The Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who is his party’s leader in the Lower House, hit out at the government and declared that it was they who needed to apologise for insulting Parliament. “This government does not want to run the Parliament,” he said, adding, “Has it ever been witnessed that all the members of a party in power create a ruckus to halt the Parliament? Why should Rahul Gandhi apologise? Instead, they (the govt) should apologise,” he told the media outside the House. On Monday defence minister Rajnath Singh kickstarted the BJP’s attack by asking Gandhi to apologise; he said, “Rahul Gandhi, who is a member of this House, insulted India in London. I demand his statements be condemned…”

Gandhi was also defended by Shashi Tharoor, who said the BJP had ‘distorted’ the remarks and said he saw no reason for the former Congress president to apologise.