‘Silencing of Opp is unacceptable to us’: LS Manickam Tagore 5 QUESTIONS

'They can’t demolish democracy like this… This is injustice being done to us. This silencing of the Opposition is unacceptable to us.'

3 min readFeb 4, 2026 04:43 AM IST

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Congress whip in LS Manickam Tagore

Congress whip in LS Manickam Tagore, who was among the eight Opposition MPs suspended on Tuesday, speaks to Asad Rehman about LoP Rahul Gandhi’s insistence on speaking about ex-Army chief General M M Naravane’s unpublished memoir, and other issues

The government is saying MPs were suspended for unruly behaviour. What do you say to that?

You have to understand there is action and then a reaction. It is a custom that the Leader of Opposition is allowed to speak on the President’s address. Yesterday, Rahul Gandhi was disturbed many times. They said he should authenticate what he is saying. He did that today. General Naravane is an Indian Army general. We should respect his services too. His book (memoir) contains many good things about Modi and the government. He is critical of one or two things. When the LoP authenticated (on Tuesday), they suddenly cut down his speech when the Congress had four hours of allotted time left. How is this democratic? Then, they called TMC, SP, DMK members. They all backed out. They called the TDP member to speak.

They can’t demolish democracy like this… This is injustice being done to us. This silencing of the Opposition is unacceptable to us.

Are other Opposition parties on board this plan of the Congress to stall proceedings till Rahul Gandhi speaks?

It is a custom for the LoP to speak. This is the first time that the Opposition is being allowed to speak. Maybe it is because the government wants to hide issues like Epstein files, US-India trade deal or the conflict with China. Mr Modi and Mr Amit Shah are uncomfortable when we speak. All Opposition members refused to speak today (Tuesday) till the LoP spoke. So that is the answer to the question.

Why is LoP insisting on quoting from General Naravane’s unpublished memoir?

You have to understand that he wanted to quote this book – only a few lines from it. How many books have Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah quoted to criticise the Congress? We never objected to it. I have been in Parliament for 12 years – even on the ruling side. Sushma Swaraj, when she was the LoP, used to quote many things. No one asked for authentication. We respected the Opposition, which is not done now… That is why they (BJP) have 240 members now —down from 303 in the earlier term.

Rahul Gandhi in an interaction with reporters spoke about pressure on PM Modi. What is he referring to?

He should be allowed to speak in the House. He spoke to the media outside. Modi and Amit Shah may not like him but he is LoP because people have elected him.

The LoP also mentioned the Epstein files in his interaction with the press. Is this an issue that the Congress plans to bring to the House?

For two days, I have been giving adjournment motions to discuss this issue. But they aren’t being accepted. Why don’t they want us in Parliament? Because we are asking the right questions and they know that. They are trying to hide the truth.

Asad Rehman

Asad Rehman is with the national bureau of The Indian Express and covers politics and policy focusing on religious minorities in India. A journalist for over eight years, Rehman moved to this role after covering Uttar Pradesh for five years for The Indian Express. During his time in Uttar Pradesh, he covered politics, crime, health, and human rights among other issues. He did extensive ground reports and covered the protests against the new citizenship law during which many were killed in the state. During the Covid pandemic, he did extensive ground reporting on the migration of workers from the metropolitan cities to villages in Uttar Pradesh. He has also covered some landmark litigations, including the Babri Masjid-Ram temple case and the ongoing Gyanvapi-Kashi Vishwanath temple dispute. Prior to that, he worked on The Indian Express national desk for three years where he was a copy editor. Rehman studied at La Martiniere, Lucknow and then went on to do a bachelor's degree in History from Ramjas College, Delhi University. He also has a Masters degree from the AJK Mass Communication Research Centre, Jamia Millia Islamia. ... Read More

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