NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday said his right as an MP to ask a supplementary question in Lok Sabha was taken away as Speaker Om Birla did not allow him to ask one.
He said he was hurt by the action as it was the duty of the speaker to protect his right to speak and ask a supplementary question.
Gandhi was asking the government to name wilful bank loan defaulters, but was not allowed another supplementary question amid uproar in the lower house.
“I was not allowed to ask supplementary question in Lok Sabha, this takes away my right as MP,” Gandhi told reporters outside Parliament.
“This is taking away my right as a member of Parliament and it is not fair. This is completely unfair,” he said.
“I was hurt that my Parliamentary right to ask a supplementary question was not given. The speaker did not allow me to ask a supplementary question. I got hurt as this was my right as an MP to ask a supplementary question,” the Congress leader said.
Gandhi said there is a Parliamentary procedure while asking questions and it is the right of every single Parliamentarian.
He said when one asks a question, one is asked to put forth a secondary question.
Today, he said, he asked a question and the minister did not respond to the question on the largest wilful defaulters.
“This minister did not answer my question and I was quite hurt,” he said.
“It is the duty of the speaker to protect my right to speak,” he said.
Gandhi asked why the government is scared of naming wilful bank loan defaulters.
“Why is the government trying to defend the big wilful bank loan defaulters. Why is the government not naming them in Parliament,” Gandhi asked.
The former Congress president said why is the government so scared of naming those 500 wilful defaulters.
“We know that the economy is not moving forward. 500 people have stolen Indian money. They are wilful defaulters. The prime minister has said he is going to take action against wilful defaulters. Why is the government not giving their names,” he asked.
Gandhi said he has been warning this country that the current situation of banks, the economic situation coupled with coronavirus is going to result in a “disaster”.
“I keep repeating it and I am sorry to say that actions like this do not help,” he said.
Gandhi raised in Lok Sabha the issue of bad loans and sought a list of 50 top wilful defaulters.
However, the House soon witnessed noisy scenes and a walkout by Congress members as Gandhi was not allowed to ask a second supplementary related to wilful defaulters during the Question Hour.
The protests came after Speaker Om Birla announced the end of Question Hour at noon as the designated time for it is 11 am to noon.
While asking the first supplementary, Gandhi said he wanted to know the list of 50 top wilful defaulters, including funds given and the amount written off by banks but did not get a proper answer in the written reply. (AGENCIES)
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