In condemnation of terror attack, an exchange between Congress, BJP

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In the first half, as Congress MPs shouted slogans, BJP, Akali Dal, BJD and CPM members condemned the attack. Speaker Sumitra Mahajan did not give Kharge a chance to join them. He said everyone else was allowed to speak. “I see partiality in this,” he was heard saying. Mahajan said opposition MPs standing in the well holding banners should go back to their seats before seeking permission to speak.

The members refused to return to the seats. Naidu later criticised the Congress. “Congress fails to keep national interests over political agenda and gets hurt,” he told reporters. “They did not even appreciate the seriousness of the attack… As a result, Congress was isolated.”

He said the Home Minister would make a statement on the attack in Parliament.

Congress MPs were visibly upset at the Speaker’s determination to run the Hose amid chaos, as well as the fact that visuals of their protests were not being shown on Lok Sabha TV. Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi kept giving instructions and gesturing to placard-holding MPs .

Rahul was seen speaking to Jyotraditya Scindia, Deepender Hooda and Shashi Tharoor. He asked some MPs to raise their placards in front of TV cameras. Hooda was seen distributing more placards and, at one stage, trying to hold one right in front of the Speaker.