Sources cited by PTI said that Congress Leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday, 17 December, wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla saying he was silenced in the Parliamentary Committee on Defence meeting, seeking his intervention to ensure that an elected MP’s right to speak freely is protected.
Gandhi also reportedly urged the Speaker, who is meant to be the custodian of Parliament, to ensure that the discussions and presentations on defence panels are in congruence with its agenda.
The sources said that he was silenced by panel chairman Jual Oram (BJP) when he brought up the issue of Chinese aggression and soldiers at the Ladakh border.
Rahul Gandhi, Cong Members Walk Out of Defence Panel Meeting
Gandhi and other members of his party on Wednesday had staged a walkout from the meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Defence, alleging that the panel's time was being wasted in discussing armed forces' uniform instead of the crucial issue of national security.
The sources said the issue of uniforms of the Army, Navy and Air Force was being discussed in the presence of the Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat when Gandhi intervened.
He said instead of discussing this, the political leadership should discuss the issues of national security and how to strengthen the forces who are fighting the Chinese in Ladakh.
The committee chairman did not allow Gandhi to speak, following which the Congress leader decided to walk out, they said, adding that Congress members Rajeev Satav and Revanth Reddy also left the meeting, along with their leader, PTI reported.
‘Rightly Walked Out of This Mockery’: Amarinder Singh
Meanwhile, terming Rahul Gandhi's walkout from the committee as totally justified, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Thursday urged the Speaker to look into the working of the committee, which he dubbed as 'absurd', with members discussing the type of polish to be used on buttons and shoes of the uniform, instead of strategising on ways to counter the joint China-Pakistan threat, reported IANS.
(With inputs from PTI)
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