New Delhi: The BJP on Thursday accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of repeatedly changing goalposts on discussions in Parliament and alleged that the Monsoon Session had fallen victim to “one leader’s ego, indiscipline and insolence”.
The party also alleged that hundreds of crores of rupees of taxpayers’ money were wasted due to Gandhi’s “arrogance and obstinacy”.
Lok Sabha was adjourned sine die on Thursday, drawing curtains on a stormy Monsoon Session that saw relentless protests by the Opposition over the police action against agitating students and the alleged theft of Ram temple donations, besides the passage of several key bills without debate.
Addressing a press conference, senior BJP leader and MP Ravi Shankar Prasad alleged that the Opposition did not allow Parliament to function despite the government’s readiness for discussions.
Calling Gandhi irresponsible and “immature”, Prasad accused him of lacking political propriety.
“I would like to repeat that Rahul Gandhi is irresponsible. Rahul Gandhi is yet to mature as a leader in the politics of the country. Rahul Gandhi is delinquent. And Rahul Gandhi has a great sense of arrogance and entitlement,” he said.
“The Parliament’s Monsoon Session has fallen victim to one leader’s ego, indiscipline and insolence,” he added.
He said that Gandhi and the opposition kept changing the goalposts during the entire Monsoon session.
Prasad said that the opposition had first demanded a discussion on NEET, then Gandhi staged a protest outside the Prime Minister’s residence, demanded the resignation of the education minister, and later sought answers from Modi.
He said Gandhi had repeatedly demanded that the home minister respond to the alleged police action in Delhi, but when Amit Shah offered to participate in a debate and respond to every point, the Opposition still did not allow the discussion.
“Yesterday you saw that the Home Minister (Amit Shah) himself came before the media and said, I am ready to listen to the entire debate for 24 hours, and I am ready to answer all these issues. I will answer point by point,” Prasad said.
BJP MP Giriraj Singh said the Congress should be “ashamed” of bringing a monkey to Parliament during its protest.
“Because of one arrogant and obstinate leader, the entire session turned into a joke. They are bringing monkeys into Parliament. Is this a team of monkeys? Are they entertainers?” Singh asked in the Parliament House complex.
“The Congress should be ashamed of itself for stooping so low. No MP can be an entertainer, but they have crossed all limits by bringing monkeys into Parliament,” he said.
Singh alleged that the Opposition did not want Parliament to function and said hundreds of crores of rupees of public money had been wasted.
Fellow party MP Manoj Tiwari also blamed the Opposition for disrupting the session, but said the conclusion of the proceedings with the national song Vande Mataram presented a “beautiful sight”.
“If we look at it, the Opposition ruined the entire session. However, it was a beautiful sight to see everyone standing together when the session concluded with ‘Vande Mataram’,” Tiwari said.
Another BJP MP Sanjay Jaiswal said the Opposition kept changing its demands whenever the government agreed to them and asserted that Parliament could not function in such a manner.
He said the Speaker should take cognizance of the disruptions and asserted that Opposition MPs who came to Parliament only to create a ruckus in the next session should be removed “under all circumstances” so that the House could function peacefully.
BJP MP Vinod Tawde also held Gandhi solely responsible for “wasting taxpayers’ money” and said it is “unfortunate that a ‘reel master’ is the Leader of Opposition”.
Fellow MP Samik Bhattacharya described the Opposition’s conduct as a “betrayal” and “dishonesty” with the people.
At the press conference, Prasad, while recalling Gandhi’s protest outside the prime minister’s residence along with other Congress leaders, questioned whether he is not aware of the sanctity of the prime minister’s residence and the security implications of such a visit.
He said officials, including the home secretary and cabinet secretary, as well as Minister of State in the PMO Jitendra Singh, had met the protesters and conveyed that the government was ready for discussion.
“But when they were told that the government is ready for discussion, they said they wanted resignation,” Prasad said.
He said the government has taken several steps on the NEET issue, including bringing in a stringent law, providing for fast-track courts and ensuring time-bound trials.
He also said a high-powered committee is working on addressing the syndicate involved in paper leaks.
He also reiterated the government’s position on the alleged firing during the protest in Bihar.
“We have made it clear that no shots were fired,” Prasad said, adding that had the opposition listened to Shah in Parliament, they would have got their answers, but it did not let the House function.
Prasad said the Opposition could not prevent Parliament from functioning and then complain that its concerns were not being heard.
“You will not allow a debate. You will not allow the House to function. And then you will say that my voice is not being heard. How will this work?” Prasad said.
He also accused Gandhi of adopting a “my way or highway” approach, saying democracy could not function under his “arrogance, sense of entitlement and self-importance”.
Prasad also targeted the Opposition over the students protest in Jharkhand, alleging that the Congress-backed state government is silent despite the police action against protestors.
“Rahul Gandhi, the Jharkhand government is running on the shoulders of your party. Children there are being fired upon, they are being harassed, they are being beaten, tear gas shells are being fired, and you are silent,” Prasad said.
He also questioned the Congress’s position on the Ram temple donations issue, saying, “Police action is being taken over the issue of the donations, strict action is being taken. But can the issue of donations and the pretence of devotion go together?”
He also accused Gandhi of being indifferent to the wastage of taxpayers’ money and parliamentary resources due to disruptions.
“Rahul Gandhi, Indian politics and the Indian Parliament are not a stage. The country will never tolerate this irresponsible behaviour of yours,” Prasad said.
