'You bowed down when shaking hands with PM': Rahul Gandhi criticizes Lok Sabha Speaker

By Team Asianet Newsable | First Published Jul 1, 2024, 5:10 PM IST

In response, Speaker Om Birla explained his actions and said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the Leader of the House. Mera sanskar kehta hai ki jo hamse bade hain unse jhuk ke namaskar karo and barabar walo se seedhe khade hoke (My culture teaches me to bow down in front of elders and shake hands with equals by standing straight)."

Lok Sabha on Monday (July 1) witnessed a dramatic session where Congress leader Rahul Gandhi made waves with his pointed remarks about Speaker Om Birla and the ruling BJP. Gandhi stressed the impartiality required of the Speaker's position, saying, "Speaker sir, when you were put on the chair, I walked with you to your chair. You are the final arbiter of Lok Sabha. What you say fundamentally defines Indian democracy."

"There are two people sitting in the chair, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha and Mr. Om Birla. When I shook your hand, you stood straight and shook my hand. When Modi ji shook your hand, you bowed down," he added.

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Union Home Minister Amit Shah immediately accused Gandhi of disrespecting the chair. In response, Speaker Om Birla explained his actions and said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the Leader of the House. Mera sanskar kehta hai ki jo hamse bade hain unse jhuk ke namaskar karo and barabar walo se seedhe khade hoke (My culture teaches me to bow down in front of elders and shake hands with equals by standing straight)."

Gandhi reiterated his respect for the Speaker's words but maintained his stance on the importance of the Speaker's role, saying, "I respect your words, but in this House, no one is bigger than the Speaker."

During the discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President's address, Gandhi held up a picture of Lord Shiva and highlighted his message of fearlessness and non-violence.

He cited teachings from various religions to stress his point and said, "All religions and all our great men talk about non-violence and fearlessness, but those who call themselves Hindus only talk about violence, hatred, and falsehood... Aap Hindu ho hi nahi (You are not Hindus)."

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This remark led to an uproar from the treasury benches, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi stating that calling the entire Hindu society violent is a serious matter. Gandhi clarified that he was speaking specifically about the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), not the entire Hindu society. He argued that the BJP, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), or Modi do not represent the entire Hindu community.

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