On Thursday, leaders of numerous opposition parties marched in protest of the government on a number of topics, including Pegasus, farm policies, and alleged manhandling of their MPs in the Rajya Sabha, with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi claiming that the voice of the people was “murdered” in Parliament. Top opposition leaders met in the Rajya Sabha chamber of Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, and then marched in protest from Parliament House to Vijay Chowk.
Gandhi, Sharad Pawar, Kharge, Sanjay Raut, Tiruchi Siva, Manoj Jha, and other opposition leaders were among those who attended the meeting. They protested to Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu about alleged heckling of MPs, including several women. On Wednesday, six union ministers met with Naidu and complained about alleged rowdy behaviour by some opposition members in the House.
The demonstration takes place a day after measures were passed in the Rajya Sabha amid allegations of manhandling of opposition leaders, including several women MPs. ‘Stop murdering democracy’ and ‘we demand Repeal of anti-farmer laws’ were among the placards and banners carried by the protesting MPs.
“The Parliamentary session has come to an end. To be honest, there has been no Parliament session for 60 percent of the country because the voice of 60 percent of the people has been crushed, humiliated, and yesterday in the Rajya Sabha (the MPs) were physically battered “Gandhi took a stand. He claimed that the opposition was not permitted to speak in Parliament, and that this was “nothing short of democracy murder.” The opposition highlighted the problem of Pegasus, farmers’ issues, and price rises, according to the former Congress chief, but they were not allowed to speak inside Parliament.
He claimed, “This is nothing short of the death of democracy in this country.” Gandhi also went at Prime Minister Blair, accusing him of “selling the country to huge businessmen.”
“For the first time in the Rajya Sabha, MPs were beaten up after bringing people from outside,” he claimed, adding that “Running the House is the Chairman’s and Speaker’s responsibility.” “Who is preventing the opposition in the House of Representatives? I’ll tell you something: India’s prime minister is selling the country. He is selling India’s soul to two or three industrialists, which is why the opposition is not permitted to speak in Parliament “Gandhi made the claim.
Sanjay Raut, a Shiv Sena leader, claimed that no Parliament session was convened because the opposition was not allowed to address concerns of public importance, echoing Gandhi’s claim. “The manner in which marshals were brought in and deployed in the Rajya Sabha. I felt as though marshal law had been enforced, and I was standing at the Pakistan border, being prevented from entering “Raut said.
According to Tiruchi Siva, such behaviour in Parliament has never been seen in more than two decades. Praful Patel claims that his leader, Sharad Pawar, has claimed that in his entire political experience, he has never witnessed such heinous acts in Parliament. The opposition’s complaints that marshals abused its MPs were “completely incorrect,” according to Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi, who added that facts can be verified using CCTV footage. The tumultuous Monsoon session of Parliament was adjourned for two days on Wednesday, with an anguished Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu breaking down in tears over the huge ruckus in the House, equating the act of some opposition MPs to “sacrilege in the temple of democracy,” and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla saying he was “extremely hurt” by the continuous disruptions.
