Congress leader Rahul Gandhi asserted that he has the right to respond in Parliament to the totally baseless and unfair charges hurled by senior ministers in the Lok Sabha over his democracy remarks.In a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Gandhi invoked Rule 357 which allows for personal explanations and also cited the example of BJP MP and then minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, who invoked the Rule to give an explanation regarding comments made by Jyotiraditya Scindia in relation to him in ParliamentI am making such a request again. I am seeking this permission under the conventions of Parliamentary practice, the constitutionally embedded rules of natural justice and Rule 357 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha, he said in his letter to the Speaker. The ruling regime made scurrilous and defamatory claims both within and outside Parliament, he said, requesting the Speaker to allow him to reply.He claimed that there are several examples which show that this right is not restricted to responding to statements made within Parliament but extends to allegations made in the public domain as well. Parliament… is bound by the Rules of Natural Justice contained in Articles 14 and 21 of our Constitution. They are a guarantee against administrative arbitrariness and ensure that every person has a right to be heard in a cause with which they are concerned, he added.