Microphones in our Parliament are silenced, Rahul Gandhi tells British MPs

By PTI

LONDON: Congress chief Rahul Gandhi instructed British parliamentarians within the Houses of Parliament advanced in London on Monday that functioning microphones within the Lok Sabha are sometimes silenced towards the Opposition.

During an occasion organised by veteran Indian-origin Opposition Labour Party MP Virendra Sharma within the Grand Committee Room inside the House of Commons, Gandhi additionally shared experiences from the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ which he described as a “deeply political exercise in mass mobilisation.”

In a lighter vein, he used a defective microphone within the room to make his level about what he described as a “stifling” of Opposition in India.

“Our mikes are not out of order, they are functioning, but you still can’t switch them on. That’s happened to me a number of times while I am speaking,” the 52-year-old Wayanad MP instructed the gathering, in response to a query about sharing his expertise of being a politician in India along with his counterparts in Britain.

“Demonetisation, which was a disastrous financial decision, we were not allowed to discuss. The GST…we were not allowed to discuss. Chinese troops entering Indian territory…we were not allowed to discuss. I remember a Parliament where there were vibrant discussions, heated debates, arguments, and disagreements but we had a conversation. And, that’s frankly what we miss in Parliament. We have to use debates to fit in other debates. There is a stifling that is going on,” he stated.

Earlier on Sunday, the Congress chief stated that the BJP follows “an ideology of hatred and violence”, and on the coronary heart of their ideology is “cowardice. Gandhi made the remarks throughout an interplay with the Indian diaspora organised by the Indian Overseas Congress (IOC) UK chapter whereas referring to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s remarks on China throughout an interview.

ALSO READ | Structures of India’s democracy underneath ‘brutal assault’, says Rahul in UK

Referring to the BJP, the 52-year-old former Congress president stated they’ve “an ideology of hatred and violence, a disrespectful ideology that attacks people because of their ideas. And you must have noticed one thing this is in the nature of BJP and the RSS.”

“If you notice the statement of the Foreign Minister, he said China is much more powerful than us. To think China is more powerful than us, how can I pick a fight with them? At the heart of the ideology is cowardice,” he stated, referring to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s remarks throughout an interview.

Gandhi additional stated that V D Savarkar has written in his e-book that after he and his mates beat up a Muslim man and that day they felt nice happiness. “So if five people beat up a man and one person is experiencing happiness, then this is cowardice only. If you want to fight then go fight single-handedly,” he added

Meanwhile, The BJP has accused Gandhi of maligning India on international soil whereas praising China.

Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Monday hit out at Gandhi for his remarks and requested the Congress chief to not betray the nation. “Don’t betray India, Rahul Gandhi ji. The objections to India’s foreign policy is an evidence of your scant understanding of the issue. No one will believe the lies you spread about India from foreign soil,” Thakur instructed reporters in New Delhi.

Thakur stated Gandhi has resorted to “maligning India” from international soil as a part of a conspiracy to cover his failures.

“Rahul Gandhi has become a storm of controversies. Be it foreign agencies, foreign channels or be it foreign soil. He does not lose a single opportunity to malign India,” Thakur stated.

ALSO READ | ‘Never defamed my country’, says Rahul in UK

Gandhi took questions from the group of MPs and friends from the House of Lords to additionally spotlight the significance of India-UK relations to create better employment alternatives and likewise to guard Indian democracy.

“Democracy in India is a global public good. India is big enough, where if democracy is weakened in India, it is weakened on the planet. India’s democracy is three times the size of the US and Europe and if this democracy crumbles, it will be a huge setback for democracy on the planet,” he stated.

WATCH | Modi govt doesn’t perceive precise menace from China: Rahul Gandhi

LONDON: Congress chief Rahul Gandhi instructed British parliamentarians within the Houses of Parliament advanced in London on Monday that functioning microphones within the Lok Sabha are sometimes silenced towards the Opposition.

During an occasion organised by veteran Indian-origin Opposition Labour Party MP Virendra Sharma within the Grand Committee Room inside the House of Commons, Gandhi additionally shared experiences from the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ which he described as a “deeply political exercise in mass mobilisation.”

In a lighter vein, he used a defective microphone within the room to make his level about what he described as a “stifling” of Opposition in India.googletag.cmd.push(operate() googletag.show(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); );

“Our mikes are not out of order, they are functioning, but you still can’t switch them on. That’s happened to me a number of times while I am speaking,” the 52-year-old Wayanad MP instructed the gathering, in response to a query about sharing his expertise of being a politician in India along with his counterparts in Britain.

“Demonetisation, which was a disastrous financial decision, we were not allowed to discuss. The GST…we were not allowed to discuss. Chinese troops entering Indian territory…we were not allowed to discuss. I remember a Parliament where there were vibrant discussions, heated debates, arguments, and disagreements but we had a conversation. And, that’s frankly what we miss in Parliament. We have to use debates to fit in other debates. There is a stifling that is going on,” he stated.

Earlier on Sunday, the Congress chief stated that the BJP follows “an ideology of hatred and violence”, and on the coronary heart of their ideology is “cowardice. Gandhi made the remarks throughout an interplay with the Indian diaspora organised by the Indian Overseas Congress (IOC) UK chapter whereas referring to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s remarks on China throughout an interview.

ALSO READ | Structures of India’s democracy underneath ‘brutal assault’, says Rahul in UK

Referring to the BJP, the 52-year-old former Congress president stated they’ve “an ideology of hatred and violence, a disrespectful ideology that attacks people because of their ideas. And you must have noticed one thing this is in the nature of BJP and the RSS.”

“If you notice the statement of the Foreign Minister, he said China is much more powerful than us. To think China is more powerful than us, how can I pick a fight with them? At the heart of the ideology is cowardice,” he stated, referring to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s remarks throughout an interview.

Gandhi additional stated that V D Savarkar has written in his e-book that after he and his mates beat up a Muslim man and that day they felt nice happiness. “So if five people beat up a man and one person is experiencing happiness, then this is cowardice only. If you want to fight then go fight single-handedly,” he added

Meanwhile, The BJP has accused Gandhi of maligning India on international soil whereas praising China.

Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Monday hit out at Gandhi for his remarks and requested the Congress chief to not betray the nation. “Don’t betray India, Rahul Gandhi ji. The objections to India’s foreign policy is an evidence of your scant understanding of the issue. No one will believe the lies you spread about India from foreign soil,” Thakur instructed reporters in New Delhi.

Thakur stated Gandhi has resorted to “maligning India” from international soil as a part of a conspiracy to cover his failures.

“Rahul Gandhi has become a storm of controversies. Be it foreign agencies, foreign channels or be it foreign soil. He does not lose a single opportunity to malign India,” Thakur stated.

ALSO READ | ‘Never defamed my country’, says Rahul in UK

Gandhi took questions from the group of MPs and friends from the House of Lords to additionally spotlight the significance of India-UK relations to create better employment alternatives and likewise to guard Indian democracy.

“Democracy in India is a global public good. India is big enough, where if democracy is weakened in India, it is weakened on the planet. India’s democracy is three times the size of the US and Europe and if this democracy crumbles, it will be a huge setback for democracy on the planet,” he stated.

WATCH | Modi govt doesn’t perceive precise menace from China: Rahul Gandhi