NEW DELHI: Union minister of parliamentary affairs Kiren Rijiju hit out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, saying while MPs from other parties like TMC, SP want to engage in Parliament debate and discussion, Rahul Gandhi wants to bring the proceedings to a standstill by creating “tamasha”.
Referring to Rahul Gandhi’s mock interview along with colleagues sporting Adani and PM Modi masks, the minister said that the Congress leader has “nothing to lose because he can’t feel people’s pain & problem”.
Seeking to highlight the tiff in the opposition front, Rijiju said, “Rahul Gandhi enjoys creating a tamasha and abusing the Prime Minister but other MPs have responsibilities towards the people who have elected them.
“Samajwadi Party, TMC, all Congress MPs in Rajya Sabha, some Congress MPs in Lok Sabha & many Party MPs are really interested to participate in the Parliament Debate & Discussion,” he said in a post on X along with a small video of the staged interview conducted by Congress leaders outside the Parliament on Monday.
“All he (Rahul) has to do is create a tamasha here and then go abroad to enjoy his holidays,” he added.
Earlier on Monday, some leaders of INDIA bloc protested in Parliament complex over the Adani row, with Rahul Gandhi conducting a mock interview over the issue with Congress members wearing masks of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and industrialist Gautam Adani. Post sloganeering, Rahul Gandhi conducted the interview with Congress leaders wearing masks of Modi and Adani. However, members of Trinamool Congress Party (TMC) and Samajwadi Party were not a part of the protest. Nationalist Congress Party (NCP-SP) MP Supriya Sule was also not present in the protest.
This interview riled up the BJP, with Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan calling him a “comedian” who is trying to stay relevant.
“Rahul Gandhi is indulging in what he does best — Stand-up comedy! His malicious claims and rants have crumbled under the weight of comprehensive investigation every time. Playing the role of a pawn to perfection, he yet again attempts to mislead despite his misinformation campaigns failing to cut ice with the people of India,” Pradhan said in an X post on Monday.
“Electoral verdicts since 2014 are a thundering testament that there are absolutely no takers for his stale, recycled propaganda. Such a clumsily crafted hit job is another desperate attempt by the comedy king to remain relevant,” Pradhan added.
From the outset of the winter session, both Houses have faced repeated disruptions. Yesterday was no different, with proceedings getting washed out with BJP alleging Congress’s links with George Soros and the opposition party claiming that the Adani group was being shielded by BJP. After repeated adjournments, both Houses were adjourned for the whole day amid heated exchanges.