‘Rahul Gandhi should apologise’: Rajnath Singh, BJP MPs demand in Parliament

Union defence minister Rajnath Singh started the Parliament proceedings by asking Rahul Gandhi to tender an apology over his London speech.

The second leg of the Budget session of Parliament began with uproar on Monday as Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday demanded Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's apology for allegedly insulting Indian Parliament and democracy on foreign soil, days after his speech in London.

Rahul Gandhi's London photo received a thumbs up from BJP's Temjen Imma Along

Union defence minister Rajnath Singh started the Parliament proceedings by asking Rahul Gandhi to tender an apology over his London speech. “Rahul Gandhi, who is a member of this House, insulted India in London. I demand that his statements should be condemned by all members of this House and he should be asked to apologise before the House,” Singh said in the Lok Sabha.

Union minister Pralhad Joshi also spoke on the Congress MP's speech. In protest, Opposition leaders came into the Well of the House, forcing the Lok Sabha to adjourn till 2pm.

Shortly after that, Rajya Sabha was also adjourned till 2pm as Union minister and BJP leader Piyush Goyal made similar demand from Gandhi.

“A prominent Opposition leader goes abroad and attacks Indian democracy. He has insulted the people of India and the Parliament. There is freedom of speech in India and MPs can speak in Parliament. Rahul Gandhi should apologise in Parliament,” Goyal said.

While addressing British parliamentarians in London recently, Gandhi alleged that the functioning microphones of Opposition leaders in Parliament is often silenced. Gandhi attacked the BJP-led government at the Centre and levelled several allegations.

In Cambridge, the Congress MP again alleged that the Opposition's voice was being stifled in Parliament.

Earlier on Monday, leaders of 16 opposition parties met in Parliament House to evolve a joint strategy to corner the government on several issues ahead of the start of the second part of the Budget session.

The opposition leaders met in the chamber of Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and decided to raise the issues of alleged misuse of investigative agencies and the Adani matter.

Among the parties that attended the meeting include the Congress, DMK, JDU, AAP, CPI (M), CPI, Kerala Congress, RLD, NCP, National Conference, IUML, SS (Uddhav), MDMK, RSP, RJD and JMM.

Several leaders, including from the AAP and the BRS, have given adjournment notices in both Houses to discuss the alleged misuse of probe agencies.

While the focus of the second part of the Budget Session will be on the demand for grants and the passage of the Union Budget. As per the records, about 26 Bills are currently pending in the Rajya Sabha and close to nine in the Lok Sabha for passage.

Two Bills - The Multi-State Co-operative Societies (Amendment) Bill, 2022 and The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2022 were referred to a Joint Committee by the government last Winter Session and they are currently being examined by the panel.

(With inputs from agencies)