Told LS Speaker I have right to respond in Parliament: Rahul

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said he has told Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla that four ministers have made allegations against him and he has the right to respond to that in Parliament. Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters here, Gandhi said he is hopeful though not very sure that he would be allowed to speak in Parliament on Friday. “As an MP my first responsibility is to reply in Parliament, only after that I can explain in detail before you,” he told reporters. The former Congress chief said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is yet to reply to moot questions he asked in his last Parliament speech about the Adani Group. Earlier in the day, Gandhi arrived in Parliament House after his return from abroad and met Birla urging him to allow him to speak in Lok Sabha. Gandhi’s remarks during his recent trip to the UK have rocked Parliament, with both houses failing to transact any significant business on the first four days of the Budget session’s second half. 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. He 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 Modi raising internal politics abroad.