New Delhi [India], March 31 : Congress leader and MP Jairam Ramesh on Monday launched a scathing attack on the Central Government, accusing them of trying to "supress the voices of the Leaders of Opposition" in the Parliament.
With the Budget session concluding on April 4, Ramesh looked back at the discussions held, and said that the government is trying to suppress any public issue being raised by either Rahul Gandhi or Mallikarjun Kharge in Parliament.
"It is very clear in the Lok Sabha that the Leader of Opposition is not being allowed to speak, his voice is being suppressed because he is raising the issues of the public. The government is scared of the issues raised, it is furious, and it does not want the Leader of the Opposition to speak. Our LoP says thing directly, he does not spin around," Ramesh told ANI.
"The situation is the same in the Rajya Sabha, our leader (Mallikarjun Kharge) stands up, and the people who sit on the government benches start shouting and then house gets adjourned," he added.
He demanded that the Parliament should hold a three-hour debate on the Election Commission, to discuss all the issues and doubts raised over the Commission's conduct of election.
"In a democracy, it is said that the government will have its way but the Opposition must have its say, we are repeatedly saying that a short-duration discussion must be held. The issues we have raised over Election Commission, the neutral election body, we expect there have been many questions being raised in all the places, whether Haryana, West Bengal, Karnataka, Delhi. On this issue there should be a three-hour debate on it," the Congress leader said.
Claiming that the EC is being "run by" Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, he said that the Constitutional body is being weakened repeatedly by the government. He further said that when they raised the issue in the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) of Parliament, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar refused to preside over the meeting, as he got up and left.
"We asked it, but our Chairman (Jagdeep Dhankar) got up and left. We are passing the bills, there are a two-three more important bills left, I am sure that the government will pass them, but our ask is for a three-hour discussion, they shouldn't have anything to hide. Government believes that they are working with transparency, and the Constitutional body (EC) is being made weaker, and attacked. EC is being run by Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) and Home Minister (Amit Shah)," the Congress leader said.
Adding that there have been challenges on the EC's decision in the Supreme Court by him as well, he said, "I myself have challenged some decisions of the EC in the Supreme Court. In this situations, we want that all Opposition parties, SP, TMC, and all others want a discussion on EC, and how we can make the Commission more transparent, strengthen it," he added.
During the Haryana and Maharashtra elections, which the Congress and its alliance partners lost, the party raised the issue of alleged vote discrepancy and EVM tampering. In Maharashtra, Rahul Gandhi claimed earlier that "more than 70 lakh voters" have been added in the electoral rolls in the state.
With just four days left of the Parliament session, Congress has raised multiple issues in and out of the Parliament. Earlier on Monday, party leader Sonia Gandhi criticised the government over the National Education Policy (NEP), criticised the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, and criticised PM Modi for not visiting Manipur despite the state witnessing prolonged violence and being under President's rule.
Party leader Rahul Gandhi had written to PM Modi on March 29, opposing the Central government's decision to permit offshore mining along the coasts of Kerala, Gujarat, and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, calling it a move that threatens marine ecosystems and the livelihoods of coastal communities.