The abrupt end to the monsoon session as the murder of democracy, said former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday after joining the opposition’s protest march to Vijay Chowk from Parliament in New Delhi against issues including the alleged manhandling of their women MPs in Rajya Sabha, Pegasus and three farms laws.
The protesting MPs carried placards and banners read ‘stop murder of democracy’ and ‘we demand repeal of anti-farmers laws’.
Speaking to the reporters, Gandhi said as far as 60% of the country is concerned, there was no Monsoon Session of Parliament. The voice of 60% population was crushed, humiliated in Parliament, he said. The opposition is not being allowed to speak in the Parliament, Gandhi alleged.
After the march, the Opposition leaders called Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu to lodge a complaint and alleged that outsiders who were not part of Parliament security were brought in to manhandle opposition leaders and members, including women MPs.
Gandhi and nearly a dozen other opposition leaders including the NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Rajya Sabha Opposition leader Mallikarjun Kharge, the Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Raut, the Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha from RJD and other opposition leaders were part of the protest march .
The joint statement of the Opposition parties slammed the govt for its authoritarian attitude and undemocratic actions. In the joint statement, the Opposition also accused the govt for deliberately derailing the monsoon session of Parliament despite the opposition having unanimously conveyed to discuss important national issues like the Pegasus.
Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut also condemned the alleged assault on women MPs in the Rajya Sabha saying “it felt like we were standing at the Pakistan border”.
However, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi has called the opposition’s allegations totally false and said that the facts can be checked by viewing CCTV footage.
The NCP chief Sharad Pawar said that in his 55 years of being in Parliament, he had never seen women MPs being attacked in Rajya Sabha unlike on Wednesday.
The Parliament was adjourned sine die on Wednesday, two days earlier to the schedule.
In other India News, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said the militants group won’t negotiate with the Afghanistan government until Ashraf Ghani remains the country’s president.