New Delhi, March 10 (IANS) Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, replying to the debate on Tuesday, questioned the morality of Opposition in bringing a no-confidence motion against Lok Sabha Speaker and took potshots at the Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi over latter’s antics in the House, while referring to his past instances of hugging the Prime Minister and winking at MPs, inside the Parliament.
Rijiju pointed out that during the first session of the Budget Session, the Congress leader had stated that he doesn’t need anyone’s permission and can speak at his will.
“This can never be allowed. Also, there are many veterans in the party who should have guided him, but they keep complaining that Rahul’s mic is being switched off to silence him,” Rijiju remarked.
Referring to another instance of LoP addressing the chair as ‘yaar’, the Union Minister said that the Speaker is the custodian of the House and therefore can never be reduced to such a loose remark.
Rijiju further said that all members of the House are bound by rules and regulations, and nobody should consider themselves above the Parliamentary protocol.
"When any individual considers himself above everything else, it is pertinent that he be called out," he said, in a clear reference to Rahul Gandhi.
The Union Minister also pointed to the 2018 instance of Rahul’s winking inside the House and said, “I have never seen such a leader, who comes and hugs the Prime Minister, then goes back to his seat and winks at fellow party MPs.”
Rijiju’s reference to 'smiling' Priyanka Gandhi, however, caught everyone’s attention, as he made a pitch for her to be preferred over Rahul for the LoP position.
“She devotes more time to the House, is more affable and can handle the LoP position in a better manner,” he said while Priyanka patiently listened with a smiling face. This also evoked laughter from the treasury benches.
Seeking to justify the interventions by the Speaker, he said that the latter tries to reform the ‘undisciplined and unruly’ MPs by chiding and scolding them, much like the way our parents or guardians do it at our homes, but there are some who refuse to pay attention and remain bent on defying the Chair.
He further claimed that the motion against the Speaker was brought by the Opposition, with a motive, to malign the constitutional bodies.
