New Delhi [India], February 9 : Amid a ruckus in the Lok Sabha after Congress claimed that Rahul Gandhi was not allowed to speak, party MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday said that it is not a democracy where a Leader of the Opposition is not allowed to present his views.
Speaking to the media, Priyanka asserted that it is "ridiculous" that Rahul Gandhi has not been allowed to speak even for a minute.
"It is very sad that we go to the House (Lok Sabha) and just come out. The Leader of the Opposition is not allowed to speak even for one minute. It is ridiculous. This is not a democracy. What are we coming here for? They should allow him to speak," Priyanka Gandhi said.
This comes after the Lower House reconvened after several adjournments following the Opposition's protest over the denial of Rahul Gandhi to speak.
LoP Rahul Gandhi claimed that Speaker Om Birla assured him that he would be allowed to present his views.
"An hour ago, a Member of the House went to the Speaker, the Speaker committed to us that I will be allowed to speak here and raise some points before the budget discussion. Now, you are going back on your word. So I'd like to know, am I allowed to speak those points or not?" Gandhi said in the Lower House.
Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju slammed the Opposition for creating regular disruptions in the House.
Further, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra targeted Lok Sabha Speaker Birla over his remarks of urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to come to the House to prevent any unpleasant incident, as he had received information that some Congress MPs could come to the PM's seat in the House and "resort to an unprecedented incident".
Priyanka defended the MPs, stressing that the women MPs cannot raise their hands on the Prime Minister.
"I have already said that the Speaker was insulted and he is pressured so much that he himself has to make statements. The women MPs cannot raise their hands on the PM. There are 11 Congress MPs, including me and all are very serious... This statement is very wrong and was made under the pressure of the government... The PM did not have the courage to come to the House, which is why the Speaker had to make such a statement on his behalf, which is wrong," the Congress MP said.
Earlier today, women Members of Parliament from the Indian National Congress wrote a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla alleging that the ruling party forced him to make "false, baseless, and defamatory" claims against them.
The MPs said their protests in the House were peaceful and in line with parliamentary norms, but they faced unprecedented targeting.
In the letter, the MPs highlighted that during the Motion of Thanks to the President's Address, the Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, was repeatedly denied the opportunity to speak over four consecutive days, while a BJP MP was allowed to make "vulgar and obscene" remarks about former Prime Ministers.
The MPs further claimed that when they met the Speaker to demand action against the BJP MP, he acknowledged a "grave mistake" but later indicated he was awaiting the government's response, suggesting he no longer acted independently in such matters.