Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is currently on a 10-day visit to the United Kingdom, said on Monday that microphones in the Lok Sabha were often "silenced" against the Opposition. While addressing a group of UK MPs in the Grand Committee Room within the House of Commons, Rahul was seen using a faulty microphone in the room to drive home his point that Opposition voices were being "stifled" in India, PTI reported.
"Our mikes are not out of order, they are functioning, but you still can't switch them on. That's happened to me a number of times while I am speaking," the former Congress chief told the UK MPs when asked on his experience of being a politician in India.
Gandhi said issues like demonetisation, which he called a "disastrous financial decision", and GST were not allowed to be discussed in Parliament.
"Chinese troops entering Indian territory we were not allowed to discuss. I remember a Parliament where there were vibrant discussions, heated debates, arguments, disagreements but we had a conversation. And, that's frankly what we miss in Parliament. We have to use debates to fit in other debates. There is a stifling that is going on," he said.
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Gandhi also said that there would be reversal in BJP's fortunes in the 2024 Lok Sabha election just like the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government faced in 2004. The former Congress chief also said "love was in the DNA of India".
"People forget that the Congress party is an idea not just a political party, it’s a way of thinking. It has been very very successful and we have governed the country for many many more years than the BJP has. BJP has this idea that it is unbeatable...this is a narrative that’s in the media. This is the same narrative that was in the media in 2004 when they launched the India Shining campaign and everyone was jumping up and down. And when the results came, the BJP was in shock," Gandhi said.
"So, I don't buy the narrative that's presented in the media," he further said.
The Congress leader also highlighted the importance of India-UK relations to create greater employment opportunities and also to protect Indian democracy.
"Democracy in India is a global public good. India is big enough, where if democracy is weakened in India, it is weakened on the planet. India's democracy is three times the size of the US and Europe and if this democracy crumbles, it will be a huge setback for democracy on the planet," PTI quoted Gandhi as saying.
The speech comes at a time when Gandhi's UK visit has already created controversy back in India, with the BJP accusing him of "defaming India" abroad after his speech at Cambridge University, his alma matter.
On Monday, Union Minister Anurag Thakur launched a fresh attack on Gandhi for his remarks and asked the Congress leader not to betray the nation.
"Don't betray India, Rahul Gandhi ji. The objections to India's foreign policy is an evidence of your scant understanding of the issue. No one will believe the lies you spread about India from foreign soil," Thakur told reporters.
Thakur said Gandhi had resorted to "maligning India" from foreign soil as part of a conspiracy to hide his failures.
"Rahul Gandhi has become a storm of controversies. Be it foreign agencies, foreign channels or be it foreign soil. He does not lose a single opportunity to malign India," Thakur further said.