House run in ‘non-democratic’ style: Rahul after Birla’s edict on conduct
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla’s instruction to Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi asking the latter to maintain “good conduct” in Parliament triggered a fresh row on Wednesday
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla’s instruction to Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi asking the latter to maintain “good conduct” in Parliament triggered a fresh row on Wednesday, with Gandhi alleging that the House is being run “in an absolute non-democratic style”. Some Congress leaders also lodged a protest over Gandhi not being allowed to reply to the Speaker’s comment.
Around 1 PM on Wednesday, Birla made a suo-motu observation asking MPs to maintain high standard. He called out Gandhi to remind him of Rule 349 of the House. Birla didn’t elaborate and it wasn’t clear why he felt the need to remind the Leader of the Opposition of the rules.
Hours later, BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya posted a clip from the Lok Sabha that showed Gandhi displaying his affection for his sister and MP Priyanka Gandhi (he cupped her chin). “It is disgraceful that the Lok Sabha Speaker has to remind Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition, about basic parliamentary decorum. The fact that Congress has imposed this puerile man upon us is truly unfortunate,” Malviya said on X.
It was not clear how a brother’s display of affection towards his sister amounted to a breach of rules in the House.
“Honourable Members, you are expected to maintain high standards of decorum and decency in the House. I have come across many incidents in the House when the conduct of honourable members is not in accordance with the high traditions and standards of the House. Father-daughter, mother-daughter, husband-wife have been members of this House. In this context, I expect from the Leader of the Opposition that you should conduct yourself and behave in the House in accordance with the rules to be followed in the House as per the rules laid down in Rule 349 of the Lok Sabha Procedure and Conduct of Business, which should be in accordance with the decorum and prestige of the House,” Birla said.
Birla then adjourned the House even as some Congress leaders tried to appeal to him to allow Gandhi to speak.
An angry Gandhi told media outside the House, “There is a convention that Leader of Opposition is allowed to speak. However, whenever I stand to speak, I am not allowed. Don’t know how the House is functioning. We are not being allowed to say what we want.”
“I haven’t done anything, I was sitting silently. I have not been allowed to speak in the last seven,eight days. There is no place for the Opposition... there is only place for the government. The PM spoke about Kumbh mela... I wanted to speak too but was not allowed. I don’t know what the thinking and approach of the Speaker is but the truth is we are not being allowed to speak. It (House) is being run in an absolute non-democratic style,” he added.
Senior Congress leaders including KC Venugopal, Gaurav Gogoi and Manickam Tagore went to meet Birla separately but the Speaker didn’t reveal the reason for his observation.
To be sure, Gandhi has often publicly expressed his brotherly affection for Priyanka Gandhi, who is a year younger.
Gandhi has been a member of the Lower House since 2004 and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra joined the Lok Sabha last year after winning a by-election from Wayanad, her brother’s former constituency.
