Congress leader Rahul Gandhi wrote a letter to the Lok Sabha speaker Om Bilra on March 18 asking for his permission to speak in the lower house after a massive controversy erupted over his remarks during his interaction at Cambridge University in the UK earlier.
Sources in the Congress party have told ABP that as per rule number 357, Rahul Gandhi had written to the speaker regarding permission to reply to ministers in the house.
Earlier too, Gandhi had met the speaker seeking permission to address the ongoing controversy when he met Om Birla on March 16.
Rahul said that ministers in the Union government led by BJP had levelled allegations against him. Gandhi added he has the right to reply in such a context.
Sources in the Congress party have told ABP that Gandhi will be given an opportunity to speak in the Lok Sabha once the House is in order.
Last week, Senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday, demanding that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s statement in which he made “certain comments on Rahul Gandhi” be expunged.
“Sir, I may add that Rule 352 provides inter-alia that a member while speaking shall not make personal reference by way of making an allegation imputing a motive to or questioning the bona fide of any other member of the House,” the letter read.
“Rule 353 also states that no allegation of a defamatory or incriminating nature shall be made unless the member has given adequate notice to the Speaker. Moreover, 357 provides that Speaker shall allow a member to make a personal explanation if something has been alleged against him,” the Congress MP said.
According to the letter, “Today, both the Hon’ble Ministers made unsubstantiated remarks against our leader without prior notice and no opportunity was accorded to the members of his party to refute the allegations.”
“In view of the above, I request you to expunge the statement of Shri Rajnath Singh Ji,” he said.
The Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day on Monday after a massive outcry over Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s remarks about “democracy under attack” at numerous engagements during his tour to the UK, with senior ministers seeking an apology from him.
During the first week of the second leg of the Budget Session, the BJP MPs demanded an apology from Gandhi, while the Opposition benches demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) investigation into the Adani-Hindenburg problem.
Following obituary references in the House, Rajnath Singh, Defence Minister and Deputy Leader of the Lok Sabha stood up and charged Gandhi with attempting to discredit India in London through his remarks on Indian democracy.
“Rahul Gandhi, a Lok Sabha member, went to London to ‘discredit’ India, claiming that the country’s democratic system is crumbling. He also stated that foreign powers should intervene to save India’s democracy. He attempted to “deeply hurt” India’s honour and prestige,” he stated.
Gandhi recently claimed in London that the structures of Indian democracy are under “brutal attack,” with a “full-scale assault” on the country’s institutions.
Singh also requested that Speaker Om Birla order the House to condemn Gandhi’s remarks and direct the Congress leader to apologise.