‘Did Not Let Me Speak’: Rahul Gandhi Accuses Lok Sabha Speaker of Bias in Parliament

‘Did Not Let Me Speak’: Leader of Opposition and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday accused Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla of not giving him a chance to speak, claiming the House was being run in an “undemocratic manner”.

Speaking to reporters outside the Parliament, Gandhi expressed frustration that his repeated requests to raise important issues, including the recently concluded Maha Kumbh and the growing issue of unemployment, were repeatedly ignored.

Speaking to reporters outside Parliament, Gandhi claimed: “I requested him (the Speaker) to let me speak, but he just ran away and did not let me speak. This is no way to run the House.” The Congress MP revealed he had sought to raise critical issues, including preparations for the MahaKumbh Mela and India’s worsening unemployment crisis, but was consistently blocked.

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The clash occurred after Speaker Birla reminded members to adhere to parliamentary decorum, specifically referencing Rule 349 governing member conduct. Without naming Gandhi directly, Birla stated: “Several instances have come to my notice where the conduct of members does not conform to the high standards… Especially, it is expected of the Leader of the Opposition to conduct himself as per the rules.”

The confrontation prompted about 70 Congress MPs, including senior leaders Gaurav Gogoi, KC Venugopal and Manickam Tagore, to meet the Speaker and protest what they called the “denial” of Gandhi’s right to speak. Party sources indicated this was part of a pattern of obstruction, with Gandhi allegedly being prevented from speaking for the entire previous week.

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Gandhi’s explosive allegation that “there is no place for democracy here” underscores the worsening relations between the Treasury benches and the Opposition. The Congress leader’s claim that he was “quietly sitting” yet prevented from speaking whenever he stood up suggests a breakdown in normal parliamentary functioning.

Speaking to the media later, Mr. Gandhi had said, "I wanted to support what the Prime Minister (Modi) said. Kumbh is our tradition, history, and culture. Our only complaint is that the Prime Minister did not pay tribute to those who died in Kumbh."

The Congress leader said youngsters expected work opportunities at the Kumbh. "So, the Prime Minister must have spoken about it," he said. When the media asked him about not getting a chance to speak, Mr. Gandhi replied, "According to democratic structure, the Leader of the Opposition should get an opportunity to speak, but they won't let us. This is new India."

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