The fireworks inside Lok Sabha reverberated outside the Parliament complex on Monday, as the Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi stepped up offensive on the Union government, claiming that it was scared of debate and was resorting to "ill-founded and untenable" claims of conspiracy to harm Prime Minister Narendra Modi inside the House.
Rahul Gandhi, while speaking to reporters after the adjournment of Lok Sabha, raised litany of charges against the Narendra Modi government as well as the Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, accusing them of using different yardsticks for lawmakers, with an intent to silence the Opposition.
Making sensational claims about unpublished memoirs of former Army Chief M.M. Naravane, he said that the book has been published and the Union government was blocking him from quoting "uncomfortable facts" from the same -- a claim vehemently denied by the Centre.
"Defence Minister spoke lies about the book, it has been published and is in public domain. When we (Congress) tried raising it, the Leader of Opposition was blocked from citing it," Rahul Gandhi told reporters. Referring to the "planned attack" on Prime Minister Modi by the Opposition MPs, an insinuation made by the Lok Sabha Speaker, he said that baseless and unwarranted claims were being peddled to divert and deflect attention from real issues.
"If there is any such case, FIR must be lodged immediately and those under lens should be made to face the law," the Leader of the Opposition demanded. Notably, the Lok Sabha passed the Motion of Thanks to the President's address without any reply from the Prime Minister on February 5, as his address was cancelled at last hour, after Speaker Birla 'advised' him against attending the House proceedings.
Rahul Gandhi also took umbrage and voiced disappointment over Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members being allowed to make "vile and disparaging" charges in the House against former Congress Prime Ministers, but Congress MPs being blocked and suspended for raising their dissent.
At least eight Opposition parliamentarians were suspended by the Lok Sabha Speaker during discussion on Motion of Thanks to President's address, after they tore the papers and flung it at the Chair. Rahul Gandhi's litany of charges comes amid deadlock in the Lower House over repeated government-Opposition tussle.
The two warring sides also met the Speaker Birla on Monday and possibly reached a deal, as Rahul Gandhi said that he has been allowed to speak on certain issues, other than the Union Budget. The BJP, dismissive of Rahul Gandhi's claims of 'commitment' by the Speaker, hit back at him and the Congress party, accusing it of deliberate attempt to create disorder and uproar by raking up issues, barred under the Official Secrets Act.
BJP Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala, rejected the Leader of the Opposition's assertions that the unpublished memoirs -- the focal point of bitter confrontation between the Centre and Opposition, is in public domain and said that Rahul Gandhi was openly violating the Officials Secrets Act, which bars anyone from publicly raising issues pertaining to national security.
"Rahul Gandhi has been selectively quoting from the unpublished book, abusing the Chair and breaking parliamentary conventions. He has no qualms in putting parivaar (family) over party," Poonawala said, while sounding caution that the Leader of the Opposition may have to face the legal consequences of violating the Officials Secrets Act.
He also told that the memoirs penned by former Army Chief Naravane, detailing about the Galwan face-off between India and China in 2020, is under the scrutiny of Defence Ministry and is yet to get approval for release.