E-Paper
‘Dear Rahul Gandhiji…’: Minister sets up row in Lok Sabha during Question Hour
Minister Harsh Vardhan’s statement - he was reading out of a piece of paper - was unusual. Ministers are required to stick to responding to the question asked by a member of parliament.
Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan set off a political firestorm in Parliament on Friday when he stood up to reply to a question asked by Rahul Gandhi on the ministry during Question Hour but insisted on condemning Gandhi first over his recent attack on PM Modi.
It took a few moments for a stunned Congress to figure out what Harsh Vardhan was going to say. The minister’s statement - he was reading out of a piece of paper - was unusual. Ministers are required to stick to responding to the question asked by a member of parliament.
As Gandhi mentioned his question number – Question number 89 on Establishment of Medical Colleges - during Question Hour, the minister said: “Sir, please excuse me. Before I begin answering this question of Dear Rahul Gandhiji, I want to condemn in no uncertain words the outlandish language that he has used against the Prime Minister of the country.”
Watch l Harsh Vardhan condemns Rahul’s ‘danda’ jibe; Congress MPs charge at minister
Speaker Om Birla did ask the minister to give his reply but the minister had continued with his statement.
As the opposition members trooped into the well, the Speaker adjourned the House till 1 pm.
Gandhi, who represents Kerala’s Wayanad in the Lok Sabha, had asked Harsh Vardhan to list the details of the proposals received from the States/UTs under Phase-III of the Centrally Sponsored Scheme for the ‘Establishment of New Medical Colleges, details of medical colleges established under the first two phases and whether a new government medical college was proposed in his constituency.
