© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
Tags:
Journalism of Courage
The BJP on Monday stalled the proceedings of the Lok Sabha, seeking an apology from Congress MP Rahul Gandhi for his remarks on Indian democracy during his recent trip to London. Senior BJP leader Ganesh Singh, a four-time Lok Sabha MP from Madhya Pradesh’s Satna, says in an interview that Gandhi was “being irresponsible” and has to explain his actions to people.
Edited excerpts:
On a rare occasion, the ruling party MPs on Monday created uproarious scenes in the Lok Sabha with slogan raising, forcing the House to adjourn repeatedly. Why?
We, in the BJP, have just said Rahul Gandhi, being a member of the Lok Sabha, should not have made the remarks against India on foreign soil. If he had to say something, he could have come to the House and spoken. People are concerned about what he said. There is a peaceful atmosphere in the country and he has created confusion. He did not act as a constructive Opposition leader. He should apologise.
But the Opposition leader contended that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who led the offensive, did not give a notice to speak.
Rajnath Singh ji is an honourable leader and he is the deputy leader of the House. He has named Rahul Gandhi but did not level any allegations against him. All he said was that what Gandhi did was wrong and there should be an explanation.
The protests disrupted the proceedings and there was no business in the House. Is it not the ruling party’s responsibility to run the House?
Yes, we agree that it is the ruling party’s responsibility to see that the House functions. We want to run the House, but Rahul is a member of this House. He has damaged the country’s image. He could have raised his concerns in the House. He spoke for 50 minutes during the motion of thanks debate and his mic was not switched off even for a second. But he accused the Speaker. By attacking the Chair, he has damaged the prestige of the House. We had to raise that issue.
But most of what Gandhi said during the 50 minutes has been expunged.
But it is still on his YouTube channel. Once expunged, you are not supposed to play them or keep them on your social media. No one can report it either. Here Rahul Gandhi is challenging every authority and breaking all rules. What was the basis of his allegations? He has asked foreigners to come and save democracy in India. During Indira Gandhi’s rule, Subramanian Swamy (then a Jana Sangh leader) was expelled from the Rajya Sabha in 1976 for his remarks against India on foreign soil.
Will the BJP continue its protest on Tuesday?
Our party will decide what’s our strategy for tomorrow. We want the House to run, but let him apologise.
