NEW DELHI: Lok Sabha had to be adjourned within minutes of its summoning on Friday morning after vocal BJP members including Nishikant Dubey and Prahlad Joshi demanded apology from Congress President Rahul Gandhi on the Rafale deal row.
The ruling members were up on their feet the moment Speaker Sumitra Mahajan entered and asked for taking up of first listed Question of the day. BJP members including Mr Dubey said in view of the Supreme Court order dismissing all the petitions seeking a court-monitored investigation into the Rafale deal, the onus is now on the Congress leadership and its president Rahul Gandhi to tender an “apology”.
“Rahul Gandhi Maafi mango..(Rahul Gandhi, please tender apology),” they screamed repeatedly. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Narendra Singh Tomar also seemed to support the contentions of his party colleagues and said, “Rahul Gandhi has misled the country on Rafale all along and thus he should tender an apology”.
“The Congress party should also tender apology,” he said. In between, Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge were seen chatting even as some Congress members rushed to the well.
AIADMK and TDP members were also in the well raising their respective demands. During last two days, the Congress members have been raising the demand for a JPC probe into the Rafale aircraft deal.
However, the apex court’s ruling on Friday gave a golden opportunity to the ruling side to turn belligerent and take the battle into the rival camp. As the repeated plea by the Speaker to allow smooth running of the House went unheeded, she adjourned the House till 12 noon.
Lok Sabha has not able to transact any major business during the winter session of Parliament that got underway on December 11. (AGENCIES)
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