New Delhi: After a day of mayhem in the parliament, the BJP claimed that it will not let Congress leader Rahul Gandhi speak unless he apologises for his remarks on Indian democracy and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in London.
The house had to be adjourned on a second consecutive day due to loud sloganeering from the BJP demanding an apology from Rahul Gandhi. The Congress leader at Cambridge University said that democracy in India is in trouble. The BJP has been alleging that he damaged the country's reputation.
Rahul said he wants to respond to the allegations inside the house but the BJP insisted that he apologises first.
BJP National Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said Rahul should apologise outside before seeking recourse in the parliament. "Rahul has made an egregious & gravely offensive remark against our sovereignty by demanding foreign intervention on foreign soil. If he is serious about Parliament he should have apologised immediately outside before seeking recourse in Parliament. You cannot undermine Parliament and then seek its recourse. First, apologise to the nation," he tweeted.
Union Minister Anurag Singh Thakur said Rahul is "truly an unfortunate MP because he is defaming the same parliament that he is a part of." He was referring to the Congress leader's remark in which he said: "Unfortunately, I am a Member of Parliament."
"He does not know that the House is run by procedures and policies. I had also brought the booklet of rules for him. If he attended the parliament, he would understand. He does not read and rarely comes to the parliament. Telling one lie after another has become his habit. You lied and tried to show that you are bigger than the parliament, bigger than the country. He should apologise unconditionally," said Thakur.
BJP ministers have accused Rahul Gandhi of spreading lies and maligning India's image abroad. Law minister Kiten Rijju said he spoke the language of "anti-India forces''. MP Nishikant Dubey said a special committee should look into the statements and end his Lok Sabha membership. BJP National President JP Nadda said Rahul has become a permanent part of the "anti-nationalist toolkit".
Both houses of parliament have been in disarray and opposition parties demanded that a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe should be done into the Adani-Hindenburg row. Congress also said that microphones of opposition leaders were muted in the parliament, reported NDTV.
The Congress tweeted: "Earlier, the mic used to be turned off, today even the proceedings of the House were muted. The house is mute for PM Modi's friend."