Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: The governing NDA MPs on Wednesday slammed Rahul Gandhi as a “leader of propaganda” who is accustomed to dynastic privilege and cannot accept equal treatment with others, as they kept the leader of opposition in Lok Sabha in their line of fire over the opposition’s resolution for the removal of Speaker Om Birla.“Rahul Gandhi thinks the rules are not for him, but he is the rule. One family thinks that it is above the rules and procedures of the House and above the Constitution,” BJP‘s Anurag Thakur alleged. He likened Birla to a school principal who wants to enforce discipline, Anurag said, adding those who do not like the principal were free to quit the school if they did not like the principal as the Speaker is not going anywhere.He said remarks of several ruling party MPs, including his own, have been expunged in the past by the Speaker. Rahul suffers from “FOMO” (fear of missing out) and makes all sorts of allegations to remain in news, he said, slamming him as a “leader of propaganda”.BJP’s Ravi Shankar Prasad said the motion has been brought to satisfy someone’s ego, a jab at Rahul, and asserted that PM Modi can never be compromised. The LoP should measure his words carefully, especially on issues of national security, he said.“I accuse that opposition, especially Congress and Rahul Gandhi, of having anarchic thoughts and wanting to turn this Parliament into an anarchy,” he said.TDP MP Krishna Prasad Tenneti praised Birla for conduct as the Speaker and said attempts to “erode” the institution’s standing in the name of political disagreement are dangerous. “I am not defending an individual alone; I am defending the integrity of this House. The authority of the Speaker is not a personal privilege. It is an institutional necessity,” he said.BJP’s Tejasvi Surya alleged that the Gandhi family is unable to accept equal treatment before law. “Those accustomed to dynastic privilege often mistake even equal treatment for injustice,” he said, claiming that its members believe themselves to be king who can do no wrong.AIMIM member Asaduddin Owaisi, who is not aligned to any bloc, accused govt of trying to overpower the legislature but also slammed opposition parties for neglecting representatives of smaller parties like him. He is accused of being “B team” of BJP, Owaisi said.
