New Delhi [India], July 24 : Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday accused the government of silencing the opposition in the Monsoon Session of the Parliament, alleging that they have been asking for discussions on which the government should agree.
Speaking to the media, Gandhi accused the treasury benches of orchestrating disruptions in Parliament to silence the voices of the opposition in the last Budget Session.
"Whenever the Opposition leaders want to speak, they are not allowed to speak. We have been asking for discussions; they should agree. In the last session, I was surprised to see that disruption was starting from the treasury benches. They would pick a topic so that we react to it, and then there is a hungama, and then the House would get adjourned. It is suiting them just fine," the Congress MP said.
Meanwhile, INDIA bloc MPs staged a protest outside the Parliament against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise being carried out by the Election Commission of India ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections today.
Congress MPs Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Gaurav Gogoi, Sonia Gandhi, Pand ramod Tiwari were among others who participated in the protest.
Multiple Congress MPs have also moved adjournment motions in Rajya Sabha to discuss the ongoing SIR being conducted by the Election Commission in poll-bound Bihar, and raising concerns over the exercise, which is likely to be carried out across the country, including in West Bengal.
Alleging that the revision exercise is being used as a cover to disenfranchise voters, atleast six Congress MPs have moved the Notice of Motion for Suspension of rules under Rule 267 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Council of States (Rajya Sabha).
Earlier on Wednesday, Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi made sensational claims, saying that an "election theft" is ongoing in the country.
"Hindustan mein election chori kiye jaa rahe hai (Election/Votes are being stolen in India)," Gandhi told reporters here.
The Lok Sabha LoP was responding to a question about 52 lakh voters being removed from the voter list in Bihar amid the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
Gandhi stated that they cheated in Maharashtra, and when asked to clarify, the constitutional body refused to show them videos by changing the rules.
"This is not only about 52 lakh votes or about Bihar. They cheated in Maharashtra. We requested that the Election Commission show us the voters' list. They didn't show us that. We said, 'Show us the video. ' They changed the rules. They stole the elections. Maharashtra had one crore new voters," the Congress MP said.
Gandhi alleged that the Election Commission has been attempting to overhaul the entire system in Bihar by revising the voters' list, ever since they realised that the opposition had uncovered the "game" behind the sudden emergence of new votes.