Govt Not Letting Parliament Run To Avoid Adani Issue: Mallikarjun Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday accused the government of instigating the Opposition and not letting Parliament function to avoid a discussion on the Adani issue and its "failures". He also reiterated that there is no question of an apology over Rahul Gandhi's remarks in the UK. Gandhi's remarks during his recent trip to the United Kingdom have rocked Parliament, with both Houses failing to transact any significant business on the first three days of the Budget session's second half.

"Is there untouchability or not, it is there, so if someone goes abroad that person will talk about it likewise democracy is being trampled upon, we were demonstrating peacefully yesterday, who stopped us? They put women constables in the front to try and stop us," Kharge alleged. The Congress along with several other opposition parties had taken out a protest march from Parliament House to hand over a complaint to the Enforcement Directorate on the Adani issue on Wednesday. However,  they were stopped by the police at Vijay Chowk here.

The government's intention is to avoid the Adani issue so that it is not discussed, and their "failures" are not discussed in Parliament, the Congress president told reporters ahead of the start of parliamentary proceedings in the morning. "Have you ever heard that ruling party people are stalling proceedings daily, they get up first and start saying 'maafi maango', 'maafi maango' (apologize), what is this? The government is instigating and they preach about democracy to others," he said. During his interactions in the UK, Gandhi alleged that the structures of Indian democracy are under attack and there is a "full-scale assault" on the country's institutions.

The former Congress president also told British parliamentarians in London that microphones are often "turned off" in Lok Sabha when an opposition member raises important issues. Gandhi's remarks triggered a political slugfest, with the BJP accusing him of maligning India on foreign soil and seeking foreign intervention, and the Congress hitting back at the ruling party by citing instances of Prime Minister Narendra Modi raising internal politics abroad.