Only BJP members allowed to speak in Parliament, says TMC MP Mahua Moitra

In a tweet on Thursday, TMC MP Mahua Moitra said that Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla was allowing 'only BJP' ministers to speak in the parliament

Mahua Moitra, Trinamool Congress's member of parliament, on Thursday, hit out at the speaker of Lok Sabha Om Birla, accusing him of not allowing members of the Opposition to speak in the House. In a tweet, she said that Birla was allowing "only BJP" ministers to speak.

"Last 3 days saw speaker @ombirlakota allow ONLY BJP ministers to speak on mike & then adjourn parliament with not single opposition member being allowed to speak. Democracy IS under attack. And the speaker leads from the front. And I am willing to go to jail for this tweet," Moitra tweeted.

Earlier on Wednesday, Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury wrote to Birla against the "government-sponsored disruption" in the House and urged him to ensure that Opposition members get an opportunity to express their views fairly. 

"With a deep sense of displeasure, I would like to bring to your notice that the mike before my table has been muted for the past three days, as a result of which I failed to articulate my views in protest to the frivolous and wild allegations against my party leader (Shri Rahul Gandhi)," he said in the letter.

"It appears to me as if there is a well-hatched conspiracy on the part of the party in power to tarnish the image of an individual member of an Opposition Party (Sh. Rahul Gandhi)," he added.

While addressing an event in London earlier this month, Rahul Gandhi said that the Parliament in India is no longer a place for debates and that the Opposition is being stifled.

"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," he said.

Both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have failed to transact any business for the last three days since the Budget Session resumed. The BJP has been asking for an apology from Gandhi. It has accused him of insulting India on foreign soil with his remarks on democracy.

Just after Gandhi's remarks in London, union minister Anurag Thakur asked Gandhi "not to 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 said.

On Thursday, union law minister Kiren Rijiju said that Gandhi spoke the language of "those working against India".

"We speak in the interest of the public, but all the anti-India forces and gang have the same language and line. The language spoken by Rahul Gandhi is the same language spoken by those working against India, conspired against India. He will have to apologise in parliament. It is our duty to seek his apology," he said.

What does the law say about an MP speaking against an LS speaker?

There is no exclusive right given to the speaker on this front. However, the speaker can disqualify the MP for disrupting the proceedings of the House. They can also remove the "defamatory or indecent or unparliamentary or undignified" words from an MP's speech.

However, when the MP speaks outside the parliament, there are no actions specified in the Indian Constitution that the speaker can take against them. 

(With agency inputs)