Lok Sabha being run in ’undemocratic’ manner, says Rahul Gandhi after Om Birla’s ‘follow the rules’ rebuke

The Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on March 26, claimed that he was not being allowed to speak and that the House was being run in an "undemocratic manner".

Gandhi's remarks came after Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla asked him to follow the rules of procedure that members are expected to observe to uphold the dignity of the House. The second leg of Budget Session of Parliament that began on March 10 will continue till April 4.

There is no clarity yet on why the Speaker of the Lok Sabha made such observations. Birla adjourned the House after rebuking the Congress leader. Later, Gandhi said the Speaker made remarks about him and then adjourned the House without allowing him to speak. He said that in the last week, he had not been allowed to speak.

“I don't know what is going on. I requested him to let me speak but he (Speaker) just ran away. This is no way to run the House. Speaker just left and he did not let me speak...he said something unsubstantiated about me...he adjourned the House,” Gandhi told news agency ANI.

The Rae Bareli MP said the convention is that the LoP is given a chance to address the House.

“I don't know what happened and what the provocation was. I don't know what the provocation was, why Speaker had to say this...it reminds me of my headmaster in school...I felt like I was back in my school Assembly...I don't know why the House was adjourned,” Congress MP Karti Chidambaram told news agency ANI.

About 70 Congress Lok Sabha MPs, including deputy leader of Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi, party general secretary KC Venugopal and party's whip in the Lok Sabha Manickam Tagore, met the Lok Sabha Speaker and raised the "denial" of opportunity to Gandhi to speak in the House.

“Whenever I stand up, I am stopped from speaking...I did nothing, I was quietly sitting...here there is no place for democracy...I wanted to speak on (Maha) Kumbh Mela, I also wanted to speak on unemployment but I wasn't allowed,” Gandhi said.

Speaker asks Rahul Gandhi to ‘follow the rules’

Earlier, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla asked Rahul Gandhi to follow the rules of procedure that members are expected to observe to uphold the dignity of the House. 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.

Rahul Gandhi got up to speak but Om Birla adjourned the House. Gandhi spoke to reporters outside and said the House is being run in an “undemocratic manner”.

Gandhi said an unsubstantiated reference was made regarding him but wasn’t allowed to speak.

(With PTI inputs)