'House turning into Modi's darbar', Cong objects to Speaker's criticism of Sonia's Waqf remarks

New Delhi, Apr 4 (PTI) The Congress on Friday took strong objection to the manner in which Parliament was run during the Budget Session as well as Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla chiding Sonia Gandhi over her remarks on Waqf Bill, alleging that it seems the House is slowly turning into Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "darbar".

Congress' deputy leader in the Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi, said the party's top leadership would be consulted on what appropriate steps were to be taken over the Lok Sabha Speaker taking a stern view on Sonia Gandhi's remarks after Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju raised the issue and asked Birla to render a ruling on it.

"This follows a series of events in which we are seeing parliamentary rules and norms having been flouted. We had hoped to see a change after a meeting of the opposition parties with the Speaker on how the government is turning Parliament into a 'darbar', but we continue to remain disappointed," Gogoi said.

Birla on Friday chided former Congress president Sonia Gandhi over her remarks that the Waqf (Amendment) Bill was "bulldozed through", saying a senior member casting aspersions on the House proceedings was "most unfortunate" as well as against the dignity of parliamentary democracy.

Without taking the name of Sonia Gandhi, who is a member of the Rajya Sabha, Birla took a stern view of her remarks.

Sources said the Congress and the leaders of some opposition parties skipped the customary tea in the Speaker's chamber at the end of the Budget Session over the manner in which the House was run.

Addressing a press conference at the party's 24, Akbar Road office after Parliament was adjourned sine die on Friday, Gogoi said, "Today, the parliamentary affairs minister, fully aware of the rules, referred to the Congress meeting that was held outside the House. It is an established ruling and precedent that it is not appropriate to raise remarks that have been made outside the House." "But, comments were made by the parliamentary affairs minister while the Lok Sabha Speaker also commented on it. This is a serious issue concerning the rules and procedures of Parliament," Gogoi said.

"It seems the House is slowly turning not into the House of the people of India, but Narendra Modi's 'darbar' (court). Praises for Narendra Modi are accepted in the House, but when there is criticism of the government's policies on important issues, the ruling side uses tactics to adjourn the House and shirk accountability," the Congress leader alleged.

Gogoi also said the opposition was demanding an adjournment motion regarding the 27 per cent tariff that the US has imposed on India's exports but it was not allowed.

"(Donald) Trump has imposed 27 per cent tariff on India, which has shaken the stock market. Narendra Modi and Amit Shah had said 'invest in the stock market', but today people have suffered losses. Narendra Modi, with his 56-inch chest, runs away from discussions in the House on the foreign ministry's Demands for Grants," he claimed.

"The prime minister met Bangladesh's chief advisor Muhammad Yunus, who had said that China should invest in India's northeast. Did the prime minister raise this issue during his meeting in Thailand? Narendra Modi had written a letter on the issue of Hindu minorities in Bangladesh, expressing his concern to their government. Did he talk about this during the meeting," Gogoi asked.

The Congress MP from Assam's Jorhat also claimed that a three-hour discussion on Manipur was supposed to be held in the Rajya Sabha but it was wrapped up in just 50 minutes.

In the Lok Sabha too, there was a whole day yesterday and a discussion on Manipur could have taken place, but the BJP prefers to work in the darkness of night, Gogoi alleged.

The opposition's arguments on the Waqf Bill had logic, passion and weight, which the BJP had no answer to, he said.

"Even though the numbers may have been in BJP's favour, they lost to us in reasoning. They couldn't say anything concrete in support of the Waqf amendment," Gogoi said.

Congress MP and deputy leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Pramod Tiwari, alleged that it seems "fascism has become ingrained in the DNA of the BJP".

"Today, we were waiting for the Lok Sabha Speaker and the Rajya Sabha Chairman to commence the proceedings. But even before that, the BJP, despite being the ruling party, started creating a ruckus in the House. The BJP is breaking the basic principles of democracy," he alleged.

Baseless allegations were made in the Lok Sabha against Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge by Anurag Thakur and the opposition had demanded that they be removed from the proceedings, Tiwari said.

"For Sonia ji too, what she said at the parliamentary party meeting was referred to in the Lok Sabha. We condemn both the actions," he said.

The Budget Session concluded on Friday on a stormy note with treasury benches in the Lok Sabha seeking an apology from Sonia Gandhi for her remarks that the Waqf Bill was bulldozed, forcing an adjournment for nearly an hour.

Later on the demand of Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, Birla ruled that a senior Congress member casting aspersions on the House proceedings was "most unfortunate" as well as against the dignity of parliamentary democracy.

The Rajya Sabha was also adjourned sine die on Friday, marking the end of the Budget Session that began on January 31.

In his concluding remarks at the end of the 267th session of the Rajya Sabha, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said the House passed key legislations, including the Waqf Bill, and discussed several important issues during its sittings. PTI ASK SKC ARI

Source: PTI