The Congress continued to cry “political vendetta” in well of the Lok Sabha on the second day on Wednesday, even as House proceedings took place amid the din.
The party, which accused the ruling BJP for “picking” on Opposition leaders in a bid to “muzzle” their voices, has been trying to disrupt Parliament after a Delhi court asked party President Sonia Gandhi and Vice-President Rahul Gandhi to appear in the National Herald case. Outside Parliament, an aggressive Rahul Gandhi told reporters: “It is 100 per cent pure political vendetta... this is their way of doing politics. I have full faith in the legal system of this country.”
Earlier in the House, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge raised the issue before Zero Hour, saying that his party had nothing against the judiciary, but questioned the government’s “intentions”, saying there were “two laws in the country – one for the ruling party and one for the Opposition”, citing cases against Himachal CM Virbhadra Singh and former Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot.
Kharge cited the Vyapam scam in Madhya Pradesh, the ‘LalitGate” issue that concerned Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, the alleged derogatory remarks by a Union Minister (VK Singh) on the death of two Dalit children and another Union Minister (Sanjiv Balyan) reportedly visiting the riot accused in Muzzafarnagar and “offering help”, adding that “no action has been taken by the government against these people, while the Opposition is being harassed”.
The Congress was supported by the Trinamool Congress, which later walked out in protest as its leader Saugata Roy was not allowed to speak on the issue.
However, the government came down heavily on the Congress, with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu accusing the party of “threatening the judiciary through Parliament”. “None of my Ministers has done anything wrong,” he said in reply to Congress allegations against two Union Ministers, decrying “Congress strategy” to disrupt the House. “They have no facts. This is a court order. The government has no role.”
The Rajya Sabha, too, saw disruptions ever since a Delhi court ordered the Gandhis to appear before it on December 19 to on a case filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy of illegally acquiring property belonging to the now defunct National Herald newspaper.
Meanwhile, the BJD protested against the Polavaram irrigation project, saying it would submerge over 600 tribal villages in Odisha.