New Delhi: The government Wednesday sought to turn the tables on the Opposition during the debate on the motion to remove Speaker Om Birla, targeting Rahul Gandhi for his performance as the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha with reference to his low attendance, the hug-and-wink episode and his frequent foreign trips.
The motion against the Speaker was defeated by voice vote amidst high drama that unfolded during Union Minister Amit Shah’s speech.
Countering the Opposition’s charge that they are not allowed to speak in the Lok Sabha, Shah said Gandhi was off to “England and Germany when it is time for him to speak in Parliament”.
Shah also said: “Today, when you (the Opposition) raise questions about the Speaker sir’s conduct, you should also talk about your own conduct sometime. When the Prime Minister is seated in the House, rushing over to hug him, blowing a flying kiss in front of a ruling party member, winking in the House… that’s the kind of conduct you engage in… which has never happened before. And yet, you turn around and raise questions about the Speaker sir’s conduct.”
Many Opposition MPs stormed into the well of the House in protest over use of Shah’s “unparliamentary language” following which Jagdambika Pal, who was presiding, said that he would get the Union ministers speech examined and expunge any words that may be unparliamentary.
Shah, while speaking about parliamentary procedure in the Lok Sabha, said that if senior leaders such as Shashi Tharoor could help explain the rules to Rahul Gandhi, many disruptions in the House could be avoided.
Shah, while replying to the resolution moved by the Opposition to remove Speaker Om Birla, said while it is understood that Gandhi has to travel to different places for the party’s campaign, he had skipped the President’s speech, the Budget, etc., while claiming he is not allowed to speak.
“In 17th LS, Rahul Gandhi’s attendance was 51 per cent, average (of House) was 66 per cent; in 16th LS, his attendance was 52 per cent, average was 80 per cent,” Shah pointed out, at which the Opposition broke into a protest, shouting slogans of “maafi maango (apologise)”.
Launching a salvo against the Opposition, Shah said while they had been creating a narrative that they are not allowed to speak, in the 18th Lok Sabha, the Congress spoke for 71 hours until Tuesday, even though they have 99 members.
“Whereas the Bharatiya Janata Party was allotted 122 hours, even though we have 239 members. Even in this, the Congress Party got double the time compared to the BJP. But they claim that they weren’t given a chance to speak… When it is time to speak, their leaders are in Germany and England,” he said.
“I want to inform the Congress Party that in the 17th Lok Sabha, the Congress Party was allotted 157 hours and 55 minutes, while they had 52 members. In comparison, the BJP was given 349 hours and 8 minutes, while our membership stood at 303. Thus, the Speaker Sir has ensured that the Congress Party received 6 times more time than the BJP,” he added while pointing out that the Speaker is the custodian for both sides and doubting the chair is an insult to democracy.
Shah also targeted the Congress over China and blamed the “so-called generosity of Jawaharlal Nehru” for China being a part of UNSC. “Aksai Chin ka 31,000 varg km shetra kiske samay mai China hadap gaya, Congress party ke samay mai hadap gaya. Aur uss waqt vipaskh ko PM ne jawaab kya diya, Sh Nehru ne kahan wahan ghaas ka ek tinka bhi nahi ugta hai, ye toh unki maansikta hai (China took 31,000 km of Aksai Chin during Congress rule, and PM Nehru told the Opposition that not even a blade of grass grew on that land. This is their mentality)”.
He further said: “1962 mein China ne poora NEFA badaa liya, Nehru ji ne kaha my heart goes out to the people of Assam, Assam ko bye bye keh diya. Inke samay mein China ne Bharat ka ek bohat badaa kshetra hadap liya aur wo China ki baat karte hai (In 1962, China extended NEFA, Nehru said, my heart goes out to Assam. He said goodbye to Assam. In their rule, China took over a large part of India and then they talk about China).”
Shah claimed that the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation was allotted Rs 1.35 crore by the Chinese government in 2005-2006. “You tell me what research was done by the people of Congress with the money,” he asked.
He further said that the Congress government signed an MoU with the Chinese Communist government in the presence of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
On Tuesday, speaking in the Lok Sabha, Union minister Kiren Rijiju had also launched a sharp attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. The BJP minister had mentioned past instances of “hug” and “wink” by Congress leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi to claim he is “not serious” in his conduct.
On Wednesday, Shah questioned Gandhi’s conduct in the House and said: “You come and hug the Prime Minister, you give flying kisses and wink at members sitting in the House. Is this how you conduct yourself in Parliament?”
Heaping praise on Speaker Om Birla, Shah said while disagreement with the Speaker’s decisions can be expressed, the rules of the Lok Sabha consider the Speaker’s decision to be final.
“According to the established history of this House, its proceedings are conducted on the basis of mutual trust. The Speaker serves as a neutral custodian, representing both the ruling party and the Opposition. Specific rules have been created by this Lok Sabha to guide how the Speaker should conduct the sessions. This House is not a marketplace; members are expected to speak and participate according to its rules and procedures,” he added.
Shah said the Opposition was trying to take the “high moral ground” when it was their behaviour that earned them the penalties.
“I want to inform the entire House that when the present Speaker was appointed, the leaders of both sides of the House together escorted him to the Chair. This shows that both the ruling party and the Opposition must provide the Speaker with a free and impartial environment to discharge his duties and support him in fulfilling those responsibilities,” he said pointing out that if MPs go to the chamber of the Speaker today, there is a very strange situation that has been created as if the Speaker’s security itself is under threat.
“Today, while disagreement with the Speaker’s decisions can be expressed, the rules of the Lok Sabha consider the Speaker’s decision to be final. However, contrary to this tradition, the Opposition has raised questions about the Speaker’s integrity,” he added.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
Also read: Opposition’s motion against Om Birla: What Constitution says about removal of a Speaker