The Congress party has accused the central government of muting the audio in parliament to silence opposition voices during a protest. A clip shared on Twitter showed that the audio in the Lok Sabha went silent during opposition protests, with visuals showing members protesting near Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla's chair, and almost all members in the treasury benches on their feet.
The audio was absent for almost 20 minutes and was only restored when the Speaker spoke, urging members to stop shouting and then adjourning the House for the day. The government has not explained why the audio went mute.
Congress alleges that BJP has purposely done it against Rahul Gandhi
The Congress has alleged that the government muted the mics to silence opposition demands for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) investigation into the Adani-Hindenburg row, and has also alleged that the ruling BJP party decided not to allow Rahul Gandhi to speak in parliament. According to sources, the BJP has decided not to allow Rahul Gandhi to speak unless he apologizes for his 'democracy under attack' comments in London.
The Congress MP KC Venugopal has filed a privilege motion against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of targeting the Gandhis during his speech in Rajya Sabha last month. PM Modi had questioned why the Gandhis had not opted for the surname "Nehru" in the speech. The privilege notice alleged that the tone and tenor of the remark were "insulting and derogatory". The notice came after BJP MP Nishikant Dubey sought the termination of Rahul Gandhi's membership from Lok Sabha over his comments in the UK.
Several BJP leaders & ministers accused Rahul Gandhi of insulting the nation
Parliament has not functioned since the Budget Session resumed on Monday, with the BJP launching an offensive against Rahul Gandhi. Several Union Ministers, including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Law Minister Kiren Rijiju, have accused Rahul Gandhi of insulting the nation over his comments and have slammed him. Rahul Gandhi had alleged in London that the structures of Indian democracy are under attack and there is a "full-scale assault" on the country's institutions.
The Congress has hit back, citing examples of PM Modi raising internal politics abroad and accusing the BJP of suppressing democracy.
