Madurai (Tamil Nadu) [India], February 8 : Congress MP Manickam Tagore accused the central government of undermining parliamentary democracy, alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was avoiding Lok Sabha, calling it an insult to the President.
Addressing a press conference here on Sunday, Tagore said, "For the first time, the Prime Minister of India is not ready to come to Parliament, particularly to the Lok Sabha. He should have answered the Lok Sabha. The discussion Rahul Gandhi started did not take place. Rahul Gandhi was not allowed to speak, and it was an insult to the President of India."
Tagore alleged that during the ongoing Parliament session, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi was repeatedly denied permission to speak. He claimed that objections were raised if Gandhi mentioned China, named former Army chief General Naravane, referred to industrialist Adani, or even spoke about the Prime Minister.
Highlighting parliamentary tradition, Tagore noted that during the motion thanking the President for the address, the first speaker is usually a minister from the ruling party, followed by the Leader of the Opposition. "This was Rahul Gandhi's second such opportunity. He was allotted four hours, but across two days, he was allowed to speak for only six minutes," he said.
He further alleged that senior ministers, including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, repeatedly interrupted Gandhi, resulting in frequent House adjournments. Even after Gandhi submitted a written request and completed the formal authentication process, he was not allowed to speak, Tagore claimed.
According to him, Opposition parties, including the Trinamool Congress, the Samajwadi Party, and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, were also denied the opportunity to speak, prompting a protest in the Central Hall of Parliament.
Tagore said eight MPs, including himself and CPI(M) MP S Venkatesan from Tamil Nadu, were suspended for protesting. He added that the Opposition would continue daily protests, demanding the withdrawal of what he called an unjust action and the restoration of democratic debate in the Lok Sabha.
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