Deliberate attempt to silence me: Rahul Gandhi writes to Speaker over memoir row
Rahul Gandhi stressed that national security formed a key part of the President's Address and therefore warranted discussion in Parliament. He reminded the Speaker of his constitutional role, saying that as an impartial custodian of the House, it is the Speaker's Constitutional and Parliamentary responsibility to safeguard the rights of every member, including those of the Opposition.
Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, registering a strong protest against what he termed an unprecedented denial of his right to speak in the House on a matter of national security.
In his letter, the Congress leader said he was not allowed to speak during the discussion on the Motion on the President’s Address. Gandhi noted that while he was speaking on Monday, the Speaker had directed him to authenticate a magazine he intended to refer to while raising the India-China conflict of 2020.
He said that as per long-standing convention and repeated rulings of past Speakers, a member wishing to refer to a document in the House is required to authenticate it and affirm responsibility for its contents, a procedure he said he had duly followed.
Thereafter, the Speaker allows the member to quote or refer to the document and it becomes the responsibility of the government to respond, and the role of the Chair stands concluded, Gandhi said.
“Preventing me from speaking in the Lok Sabha today not only violates this convention, but also gives rise to a serious concern that there is a deliberate attempt to prevent me, in my capacity as the Leader of the Opposition, from speaking on matters of national security,” News agency PTI quoted him as saying.
Gandhi stressed that national security formed a key part of the President’s Address and therefore warranted discussion in Parliament. “It is worth repeating that national security was a key part of the President’s Address, which requires a discussion in Parliament,” he wrote.
He reminded the Speaker of his constitutional role, saying that as an impartial custodian of the House, it is the Speaker’s Constitutional and Parliamentary responsibility to safeguard the rights of every member, including those of the Opposition.
The right of the Leader of the Opposition and of each Member to speak is integral to our democracy, Gandhi added.
Calling the situation unprecedented, the Congress leader said, “The refusal of these basic democratic rights has led to an unprecedented situation. For the first time in Parliamentary history, on the behest of the government, the Speaker has been forced to prevent the Leader of the Opposition from speaking on the President’s Address.”
“This is a blot on our democracy, against which I record my strongest protest,” he said.
Earlier in the day, Gandhi authenticated a copy of an article in the Lok Sabha that cited former Army chief M M Naravane’s unpublished memoir. However, this failed to resolve the impasse, leading to a brief adjournment of the House.
With Gandhi insisting on raising the issue, Chair Krishna Prasad Tenneti moved on to other speakers and called TDP MP Harish Balayogi, a member of the NDA, to speak on the President’s Address after three opposition MPs declined to speak in solidarity with the Leader of the Opposition.
Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, registering a strong protest against what he termed an unprecedented denial of his right to speak in the House on a matter of national security.
In his letter, the Congress leader said he was not allowed to speak during the discussion on the Motion on the President’s Address. Gandhi noted that while he was speaking on Monday, the Speaker had directed him to authenticate a magazine he intended to refer to while raising the India-China conflict of 2020.
He said that as per long-standing convention and repeated rulings of past Speakers, a member wishing to refer to a document in the House is required to authenticate it and affirm responsibility for its contents, a procedure he said he had duly followed.
Thereafter, the Speaker allows the member to quote or refer to the document and it becomes the responsibility of the government to respond, and the role of the Chair stands concluded, Gandhi said.
“Preventing me from speaking in the Lok Sabha today not only violates this convention, but also gives rise to a serious concern that there is a deliberate attempt to prevent me, in my capacity as the Leader of the Opposition, from speaking on matters of national security,” News agency PTI quoted him as saying.
Gandhi stressed that national security formed a key part of the President’s Address and therefore warranted discussion in Parliament. “It is worth repeating that national security was a key part of the President’s Address, which requires a discussion in Parliament,” he wrote.
He reminded the Speaker of his constitutional role, saying that as an impartial custodian of the House, it is the Speaker’s Constitutional and Parliamentary responsibility to safeguard the rights of every member, including those of the Opposition.
The right of the Leader of the Opposition and of each Member to speak is integral to our democracy, Gandhi added.
Calling the situation unprecedented, the Congress leader said, “The refusal of these basic democratic rights has led to an unprecedented situation. For the first time in Parliamentary history, on the behest of the government, the Speaker has been forced to prevent the Leader of the Opposition from speaking on the President’s Address.”
“This is a blot on our democracy, against which I record my strongest protest,” he said.
Earlier in the day, Gandhi authenticated a copy of an article in the Lok Sabha that cited former Army chief M M Naravane’s unpublished memoir. However, this failed to resolve the impasse, leading to a brief adjournment of the House.
With Gandhi insisting on raising the issue, Chair Krishna Prasad Tenneti moved on to other speakers and called TDP MP Harish Balayogi, a member of the NDA, to speak on the President’s Address after three opposition MPs declined to speak in solidarity with the Leader of the Opposition.