New Delhi, March 11 Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday intervened in a Lok Sabha debate on the resolution to remove Om Birla as Speaker, saying that he had been prevented from speaking in the House on multiple occasions.
Responding to BJP's Ravi Shankar Prasad, who cited parliamentary procedures to say that the leader of the opposition should measure his words carefully, especially on issues of national security, Gandhi said that the House belongs to the entire country, not just one party.
"Whenever we try to speak, we are stopped. The Lok Sabha belongs to the entire country, not just one party," he said.
Earlier, participating in the debate on the resolution against Birla, Ravi Shankar Prasad had 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 the resolution because it was the result of a leader's ego.
Quoting Practice and Procedures of Parliament, Prasad said that the leader of the opposition should measure his words carefully, especially on issues of national security, and that he should avoid 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.
