Parliament Not for Gundagardi: Rijiju Slams Cong Over LS Disruptions

Reacting to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla’s warning to the Prime Minister on safety, Rijiju termed the conduct of Congress MPs unacceptable. This comes after Birla on Thursday said he had advised Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to attend the House to prevent any unpleasant incident after receiving information that some Congress MPs could approach the PM's seat and “resort to an unprecedented incident.”

“There are not enough words to condemn the behaviour of the Congress MPs in the Lok Sabha Speaker's chamber. When the Congress party's leader has no control over himself, then what the Speaker has done is right,” Rijiju said.

He further alleged that the Congress had planned to create chaos when the Prime Minister entered the House. “How the Congress planned to snatch away papers from the PM when he comes to the House. Parliament is not a place for ‘gundagardi’. But when the Congress came to it, we acted with restraint. There is a limit to everything,” he added.

The Union Minister said the government was keen to run the House, but disruptions were hindering parliamentary business. “We want to run the House. If the Congress doesn't want the House to function, then the other MPs will have to suffer its loss,” he said.

In a separate statement, Rijiju said the debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President's Address could not be held due to continued disruptions. He alleged that the Congress leadership in the Lok Sabha was deliberately preventing proceedings.

“The debate on Motion of Thanks on the President's Address could not be held in the Lok Sabha. I think the Leader of the Congress party in the Lok Sabha does not want the House to run. The Speaker is also hurt by the Congress MPs' behaviour,” he said.

Rijiju warned that if the House remained stalled, the Opposition would be the most affected. “We want to run the House, but if Congress doesn't allow the House to function and the Budget is passed by a voice vote, this will affect Opposition MPs the most, as they won't have a chance to speak on it. We have already submitted a list of all NDA MPs who will speak in the debate on the Budget. If the MPs don't get a chance to speak, the Congress party will be responsible,” he said.

He further alleged that the Lok Sabha was being stalled due to Rahul Gandhi's stubbornness, adding that parliamentary rules must be followed. “The House is stalled solely due to Rahul Gandhi's stubbornness. In the House, one must speak according to the rules. If he speaks outside the rules, there is a system in place to address it. These rules and systems were framed long ago, even during the time of his grandparents,” Rijiju added.

Meanwhile, Lok Sabha proceedings saw no legislative business on Monday as Speaker Om Birla adjourned the House till 12 noon amid Opposition sloganeering demanding a discussion on the India-US interim trade framework, disrupting Question Hour. The House was adjourned nearly seven minutes after it commenced for the week.

According to sources, the Opposition is planning to move a no-confidence motion against Speaker Om Birla. Prior to Question Hour, the Speaker also congratulated the Indian Under-19 cricket team for their historic World Cup win.

Earlier, INDIA bloc parties had decided to participate in the discussion on the Union Budget in both Houses. The decision was taken during a meeting of floor leaders at the office of Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in the Parliament House complex, attended by Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi.

The Opposition alliance is expected to raise key Budget-related issues during discussions in both Houses of Parliament.