NEW DELHI : In an unusual show of protest in Parliament, Rahul Gandhi today rushed to the well of the Lok Sabha, accused the Speaker of bias and later told reporters, “There is a mood in Parliament that only one man’s voice counts for anything in this country.”
Mr Gandhi’s barb at Prime Minister Narendra Modi came after his party disrupted the Lok Sabha, demanding a discussion on communal violence in Uttar Pradesh and other parts of the country. Speaker Sumitra Mahajan turned down the Congress request, provoking allegations of bias from the Congress vice president.
“We are making a point -The speaker’s completely one-sided partiality. So that’s what we’re raising,” said Mr Gandhi, adding, “There is a mentality in the government that discussion is not acceptable.” The ruling BJP responded sharply. “It is strange that Rahul being the face of Congress is breaking norms and rules of Parliament. Rahul is a senior Congress leader who said the Speaker doesn’t allow them to speak,” said party spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy.”It is unparliamentary and uncalled for. It depicts utter frustration,” he added.
Mr Gandhi, 44, is No 2 in the Congress; his mother, Sonia, is president. He fronted his party’s bid for the national election in May with disastrous results. The Congress won 44 seats, its worst performance ever. Powered by a high-octane campaign by Mr Modi, the BJP acquired the strongest mandate for a party in 30 years.Last month, Mr Gandhi appeared to have fallen asleep in Parliament during a debate on price rise.  His party defended him with a spokesperson saying, “Many MPs take catnaps.”
Asked about his uncharacteristic vigour in the House today, Mr Gandhi said, “I have raised my voice many times in Parliament.”

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