NEW DELHI: Home minister Amit Shah on Wednesday launched a fiery counterattack on the Opposition, targeting Rahul Gandhi, as he ascribed the move to remove Speaker Om Birla to the Leader of Opposition’s pique over frequent electoral losses and a bid to cast doubt on various institutions due to Congress’s turn to a “completely negative mode”.Speaking in the Lok Sabha at the end of the discussion which stretched over two days, Shah sought to turn the tables on the Opposition by framing the dispute as arising from Congress’s attempt to distract attention from what he called Rahul’s inability to be an effective parliamentarian by making the Speaker a scapegoat.He delivered pointed rebuttals to arguments of opposition MPs by citing official figures to assert that Congress was allotted much more time in parliamentary proceedings than was warranted by its actual numbers in the House as an opposition party and contrasted this with the “poor” participation of Rahul Gandhi. “It is not right to say he (Rahul) is not allowed to speak. He does not want to speak, or he cannot speak in accordance with rules,” Shah said in a speech which was marked by repeated protests by opposition members, who rushed to the well to demand his apology for using an “unparliamentary” word. Shah urged Jagdambika Pal, who was in the chair, to remove the word if it was unparliamentary, but protests continued.“He has not participated even in the debate over the motion against the Speaker,” said the home minister.“Constitution has given you rights but no special rights. Those living under the illusion of special rights are being increasingly given the short shrift by people and are shrinking in size,” he said. It is not Emergency that special rights will be given, he said while recalling instances of Rahul forcibly hugging PM, blowing kisses and winking at his colleagues.Parliament is not a “mela” (fair) and members have to abide by rules, the home minister said, blaming the action against opposition MPs, including Rahul not being allowed to speak after his frequent invocation of the unpublished memoir of former army chief M M Naravane and the suspension of eight members, to their disregard for norms. He praised Birla for his conduct and said he allowed every member an opportunity to speak. Shah noted he was the only Speaker of the four who have faced such a motion to take the moral high ground by declining to attend the proceedings after the notice for his removal.Shah questioned Rahul’s record, giving details of his absence on standout dates, ranging from annual motion of thanks to President’s address and budget debates to legislative debates on repeal of Art 370 of the Constitution. He was not even attending his party’s political programmes or campaign but was away in foreign countries, Shah said mockingly.
