Rahul Gandhi Accuses Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla Of Not Letting Him Speak In Parliament: 'Non-Democratic'
Rahul Gandhi has condemned the actions of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, claiming he denied a speaking opportunity to the leader of the opposition. Gandhi accused the proceedings of being "undemocratic".
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Wednesday of denying him the opportunity to speak in the Parliament. The leader of the opposition in Lok Sabha, Gandhi, alleged that the proceedings were being run in an "undemocratic manner" and added that his repeated requests to raise key issues were ignored.
I don't know what's going on. I requested him to let me speak, but he, the Speaker, just ran away. This is no way to run the House.
— Congress (@INCIndia) March 26, 2025
संसद को बिलकुल अलोकतांत्रिक तरीके से चलाया जा रहा है।
एक नियम है कि नेता विपक्ष को सदन में बोलने दिया जाता है, लेकिन जब भी मैं बोलना चाहता हूं,… pic.twitter.com/1x5WNXiN5G
The remarks of Rahul Gandhi come after Om Birla asked him to follow the rules of procedure that members are expected to observe to uphold the dignity of the House. It was not immediately clear what was the reason for the Speaker to make the observation.
According to news agency PTI, the former Congress chief said that the speaker made remarks about him and then adjourned without giving him an opportunity to speak.
"The Speaker just got up and left. He did not allow me to speak a word. He was speaking about me, and I don't know what he said about me, all unsubstantiated. I said, 'let me speak as you have spoken about me', but he did not say a word and just left. He adjourned the House when there was no need of it," the former Congress president said.
Gandhi said he wanted to speak on Maha Kumbh last week after Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made a statement on it but he was not allowed to speak. "I wanted to state that it is good that Kumbh happened and I wanted to speak about unemployment but I was not allowed to speak. I don't now what thinking or approach does the Speaker have but the truth is we are not being allowed to speak. It (the House) is being run in a non-democratic style," Gandhi claimed.
Earlier, in his remarks, the Speaker said members are expected to conduct themselves in a manner that upholds the high standards and dignity of the House. Several instances have come to my notice where the conduct of members does not conform to the high standards, the Speaker said. In this House, father and daughter, mother and daughter, husband and wife have been members.
In this context, I expect the Leader of the Opposition to conduct himself in accordance with Rule 349 that deals with rules to be observed by members in the House, the Speaker said. Especially, it is expected of the Leader of the Opposition to conduct himself as per the rules, the Speaker said.
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