Cannot raise voice in Parliament, as our mics are muted: Rahul Gandhi
Photo credit Twitter AICC
By Our Special Correspondent
New Delhi, September 4: “We cannot raise people’s issues in Parliament; our mics are muted when we speak there,” said former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi on Sunday, while addressing a party rally at the Ram Lila Ground on the issue of price rise.
“We cannot raise the issue of price rise in Parliament. We cannot raise the issue of Chinese forces at the line of actual control. Whenever we raise such issues our mics (microphones) are switched off,” Gandhi said.
He stated that all the avenues for the opposition parties to raise the people’s issues are closed.
“The media, the judiciary, the Election Commission …all are facing pressure from the government,” said the former Congress chief.
The Congress from its Twitter handle quoted Gandhi also saying that “media is scaring the country and that is adding to hatred”.
“Now that all our avenues to raise the public issues are closed, we are left with just one option and that is to go to the people,” said Gandhi.
Incidentally, the Congress has launched ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, while the party is set to hold election for the post of president.
It may be noted that the Opposition leaders on occasions have complained within the two Houses of Parliament that their mics are switched off whenever they seek to raise issues of public interest.
The political observers who have been covering Parliament for decades note that the presiding officers of the two Houses have been assertive in their conduct since the advent of the Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party government at the Centre.
Incidentally, Parliament sessions are more often marked by ruckus in the recent years, with the Opposition parties also rushing to the well of the Houses to press for the Chairs to admit their demands for ‘Adjournment Motions’.
However, it may be the first time that the conduct of the presiding officers of the two Houses of Parliament is being raised in public rallies.
The Opposition parties clearly is seeking to build their 2024 campaign against the Modi government by highlighting such instances which help portray the prime minister as an authoritarian. This was evident from the resolution discussed by the Janata Dal (United) in Patna on Saturday, which claimed that there is an “undeclared emergency” in the country, “while the voices of Opposition are being silenced by the use of the investigative agencies”.
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