Sonia not at par with British Queen: BJP

BJP accused the ruling party of following the British system of Parliament where the Queen's name is not taken.

Criticising the ruling party for protesting against opposition leaders' remarks about Sonia Gandhi, BJP on Wednesday accused them of following the British system of Parliament where the Queen's name is not taken.

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"From the reaction of the Treasury Benches, it seems Gandhi's name cannot even be taken and they are following the pattern of the English Parliament where the Queen's name is not taken", BJP Parliamentary Party spokesman VK Malhotra told reporters.

Asserting that Gandhi was the President of a political party and "part of the Government as Chairperson of the National Advisory Council", he said, "she should be prepared for criticism."

Alleging that she was "directly involved" in the defreezing of Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi's two British accounts, he said, "India is neither a monarchy nor a dictatorship. It is highly objectionable that in a democratic country, mentioning a name itself is opposed."

Malhotra was referring to the protests from the Treasury benches to certain remarks against Gandhi by Opposition leaders earlier in the day while referring to the Quattrocchi issue.

Alleging that the Scorpene submarine deal involved a scandal of thousands of crores and several middlemen, he said BJP would raise the issue in Parliament.

Inflation and suicide by farmers are among other issues the party proposed to raise in both Houses in the coming days, he said.