Rahul Gandhi on Monday raised in Lok Sabha the issue of bad loans and sought a list of 50 top wilful defaulters. He said his right to ask a supplementary question in Lok Sabha was taken away as Speaker Om Birla did not allow it.
The House soon witnessed noisy scenes amid a walkout by Congress members, as Speaker Birla announced the end of Question Hour at noon in line with the designated time.
Gandhi said that he was hurt that his right to ask a question as a member of the House was denied to him. “... it is the right of every member -- when you ask a question, the minister responds and then you are allowed to ask a secondary question. I was not allowed to ask a supplementary question. This is taking away my right as a member of Parliament and it is not fair,” Gandhi said.
Sources close to Speaker Birla said that Gandhi’s speech had ended a minute past 12 noon, and allowing the Wayanad MP to speak further would have been a violation of House procedure.
When MoS for finance Anurag Thakur started replying to the question, Gandhi and Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury protested, as they insisted that finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who was present in the House, should reply. However, Speaker Birla said usually the junior ministers answer during the Question Hour.
{{/usCountry}}When MoS for finance Anurag Thakur started replying to the question, Gandhi and Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury protested, as they insisted that finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who was present in the House, should reply. However, Speaker Birla said usually the junior ministers answer during the Question Hour.
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