'House muted for PM's friend...' Congress claims protest voices in Lok Sabha silenced (VIDEO)
"Earlier the mike used to be off, today the proceedings of the House have been muted. The house is mute for PM Modi's friend," the Congress party claimed on Twitter
FollowThe Congress party on Friday once again reiterated its 'attack on democracy' charge in Parliament after it claimed that voices of protest against the government in Lok Sabha were 'muted'.
Sharing a clip on Twitter, the Congress party commented in Hindi, which, when translated, read: "Earlier the mike used to be off, today the proceedings of the House have been muted. The house is mute for PM Modi's friend."
Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned for the day on Friday due to slogan shouting by the opposition and protests by the ruling party members over Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's "democracy-under-attack" remarks made in London recently.
This was for the fifth consecutive day that the House did not function ever since the second part of the budget session began on March 13. As soon as the Lok Sabha assembled for the day, some Congress members trooped to the Well of the House shouting slogans and demanding that Gandhi be allowed to speak in the House.
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They also demanded a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) probe into alleged stock manipulation by the Adani Group, a business conglomerate headed by industrialist Gautam Adani. The members of the treasury benches also raised counter-slogans from their seats, demanding an apology from Gandhi for his remarks.
The turmoil continued for about 20 minutes, with Speaker Om Birla urging the members to allow the House to function smoothly.
While the first half of the Budget session was overshadowed by the Adani row with the opposition parties led by the Congress demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe, the issue of Rahul's remarks in the UK on democracy has set off another impasse between the government and the Opposition.
To recall, Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury had on Wednesday written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla against the "government-sponsored disruption" in the House and urged him to ensure that opposition members get an opportunity to express their views in a fair manner.
Both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have failed to transact any business for the last five days since the Budget Session resumed, with the BJP pressing for an apology from Gandhi, whom it accused of insulting India on foreign soil with his remarks on democracy.
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