TMC MP's Address Triggers Rajya Sabha Ruckus, Ministers Respond
TMC MP Saket Gokhale took a swipe at Home Minister Amit Shah claiming that he was "afraid" of being questioned. To this, Shah responded with a jibe of his own and said he was in Parliament after winning seven elections and "not at anyone's mercy"
Trinamool Congress MP Saket Gokhale’s address in the Rajya Sabha on affairs of the Union home ministry triggered a massive ruckus on Wednesday, with Home Minister Amit Shah issuing a sharp response.
In his speech, Gokhale alleged Shah was “afraid" of being questioned. To this, the home minister responded with a jibe of his own and said he was in Parliament after winning seven elections and “not at anyone’s mercy".
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The ruckus began as Gokhale started providing data on the number of pending corruption cases with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), to which he strongly remarked: “I will not yield…"
To this, Shah said: “I have not come here at anyone’s mercy. I have come here by winning seven elections. I haven’t entered here just by opposing an ideology. There’s no question of being afraid… Whatever he’s referring to, he’s giving wrong information to the House and I am obligated to clarify…"
When BJP national president JP Nadda intervened and demanded an apology from Gokhale for allegedly providing incorrect and inaccurate information, the House descended into chaos with the TMC MP emphasising he will not be making one.
He said: “I will not be apologising to him (Shah)!" Other members of the TMC were heard saying: “Discussion is our right, we will not apologise. Will you not even allow us to discuss anything?"
Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar urged Gokhale to withdraw his remarks against Shah and said such statements discourage healthy debate in the House. When Gokhale refused to withdraw them, he called his remarks “unparliamentary, not well-motivated" and said they will be expunged.
With tempers running high, Gokhale sparked another round of protests from the ruling side when he made a reference to a controversial word (later expunged) while talking about the home minister’s surname. Both the Chair and the ruling side said the remarks should be withdrawn.
“The way Saket Gokhale started the discussion is very negative. During his 10-minute address, he has not given a single suggestion. What do you want to achieve by speaking such language? I have never seen a member initiating a discussion like this. You must elevate your standards. He has lowered the dignity of the Rajya Sabha," said parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju.
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