New Delhi, March 11 Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi said on Wednesday that he has been prevented from speaking in the Lok Sabha on multiple occasions and asserted that the House represents the entire country, not just one party.
Intervening in a debate in the Lok Sabha on the resolution to remove Om Birla as Speaker, Gandhi alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi "has been compromised" and that everyone knows the consequences.
Responding to BJP's Ravi Shankar Prasad, who cited parliamentary procedures to say that the leader of the opposition should carefully consider his words, especially on issues of national security, Gandhi said that his name had been repeatedly raised during the debate and that "vile things" were being said about him.
"The discussion here is about the democratic process and the role of the Speaker. However, my name has been repeatedly raised, and vile things have been said about me. This House represents the will of the people. This House does not represent one party; it represents the entire country," the former Congress president said.
"Every time we try to speak, we are stopped. The last time I spoke, I raised fundamental questions about the compromises made by our Prime Minister. My name has been repeatedly raised. Just a few days ago, for the first time in India's history, the Leader of the Opposition was not allowed to speak during a debate," Gandhi said.
The Congress leader said that the last time he spoke in Parliament, he raised the issue of "the Prime Minister being compromised".
"I raised the issue of Mr. (M M) Naravane, I raised the issue of Epstein, and I raised the issue of Adani, and I was silenced. These issues are fundamental to the people of India," he said.
"Our Prime Minister has been compromised; everyone knows the consequences," Gandhi said.
Participating in the debate on the resolution against Birla, Ravi Shankar Prasad had earlier said that the motion to remove the Speaker from his post should not be used to "satisfy" the ego of a leader.
He said it was painful that the House was discussing a resolution that was the result of a leader's ego.
Quoting Practice and Procedures of Parliament, Prasad said that the Leader of the Opposition should carefully consider his words, especially on issues of national security, and that he should eschew partisan politics. This led to a uproar from the opposition.
Later, Dilip Saikia, who was chairing the proceedings, allowed Gandhi to respond to the allegations.