NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday denounced Rahul Gandhi’s comments during the Budget Session as “non-parliamentary”. BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi, in a press conference following the session on Wednesday, stated that the Congress party’s conduct in the House has been the same as witnessed on the roadside. BJP MP said, “Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition, seems to believe in spreading venomous lies and then leaving abroad. His behaviour during parliamentary proceedings has been lethargic.”The BJP MP said, “The behaviour of the Congress party in the House has been no better than what one might witness on the roadside. Such conduct is unbecoming in a parliamentary setting. We saw how women were used as a shield as people moved towards the treasury bench, holding banners, recalls the memories of Shaheen Bagh.”Right after Rahul Gandhi’s speech in the House, Union parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju, trading barbs at Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, remarked that Congress does not like the idea of a progressing India. Responding to Rahul Gandhi’s comment about “the PM selling India,” Rijiju remarked that no “mai ka laal” could ever sell India.Rijiju said, “Rahul Gandhi claims that our country, India, has been sold. I want to say this in front of the House, nobody could ever sell India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the strongest PM India has ever had.”He then went on to launch an attack on the Congress, claiming that they are weakening India. “You made the nation weak. Congress gets upset over India progressing,” Rijiju said, “Congress does not like the idea of India progressing.”Following this, Rijiju accused Rahul Gandhi’s statements of being baseless and said that everything he said shall be expunged. “While giving a speech on the budget, Rahul Gandhi is making allegations without any argument, without any evidence and without giving any notice,” Rijiju said, “His entire speech, whatever wrong things he has said, everything will be removed, and whatever unparliamentary words he has used should also be removed, especially whatever lies he has said, wrong things, allegations he has made, all of them should be removed.”Rijiju later also challenged Rahul Gandhi’s allegations on Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri, stating the statement without notice was a clear breach of privilege and that he needed to authenticate the documents through due process.Rijiju said, “He has made a serious allegation against Minister Hardeep Singh Puri without giving any notice. It is a serious breach of privilege. We will file the necessary notice with the Speaker. LoP did not make any useful substantive contribution to the Budget Discussion. He was only making wild allegations.”Also underscoring the LoP storming out of the Parliament after his speech, he said, “I told him to be present in the House when the Finance Minister replies to the Budget at 5 PM today. After his speech, he immediately went out of the House. The rule is that once a member makes his speech, he cannot leave the House immediately after his speech is over.”
