Rahul Gandhi writes to PM, urges him to facilitate debate in LS on NEET
New Delhi: In a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday, Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi alleged "selective expunction" of portions of his speech in the House. He wrote that removing his considered remarks from records goes against the tenets of parliamentary democracy and that they should be restored. Mr Gandhi also wrote to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to facilitate debate on the Neet issue in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
In his first speech as the Lok Sabha LoP on Monday, Mr Gandhi had launched a no-holds-barred attack on the BJP, accusing the leaders of the ruling party of dividing people on communal lines. Speaking to the media on the issue on Tuesday, Mr Gandhi said, "Whatever I had to say, I have said and that is the truth. They can expunge as much as they want, but the truth will prevail.”
In his letter to Mr Birla, Mr Gandhi said that while the Chair has powers to expunge certain remarks from the proceedings of the House, the stipulation is only those kinds of words, the nature of which is specified in Rule 380 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha.
"I am, however, shocked to note the manner in which considerable portions of my speech have been simply taken off from the proceedings under the garb of expunction," the former Congress chief said.
"I am constrained to state that the portions expunged do not come under the ambit of Rule 380. What I sought to convey in the House is the ground reality and the factual position. Every member of the House who personifies the collective voice of people whom he or she represents has the freedom of speech as enshrined in Article 105(1) of the Constitution of India," Mr Gandhi wrote.
Taking off from the records, my considered remarks go against the tenets of parliamentary democracy, Mr Gandhi wrote in his letter to Mr Birla.
"In this context, I also wish to draw attention to the speech of Anurag Thakur, whose speech was full of allegations. However, surprisingly, only one word has been expunged," Mr Gandhi said, adding, “With due respect to your good self, this selective expunction defies logic. I request that the remarks expunged from the proceedings be restored."
In his letter to the Prime Minister, the Lok Sabha LoP requested that his government facilitate a debate on the NEET medical entrance exam row in the House on Wednesday. He said the Opposition's request to discuss the Neet issue was denied in both Houses of Parliament on June 28 as well as on Monday. He added that the Lok Sabha Speaker had assured the Opposition that he will discuss the matter with the government.
"I am writing to request a debate in Parliament on Neet row," Mr Gandhi said in his letter to the Prime Minister on Tuesday.
"Our aim is to engage constructively to find a way forward. At this moment, our only concern is the welfare of nearly 24 lakh Neet aspirants across India," he wrote.
"The NEET examination deserves immediate attention because it has exposed the deep rot in our higher education system. The past seven years have seen over 70 paper leaks, affecting over 2-crore students," the Congress leader added.
