‘They’re scared’: Priyanka Gandhi says BJP govt stifling debate in parliament over sensitive issues
New Delhi: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has said that the BJP-led government is not allowing her brother Rahul Gandhi to speak in Parliament as it is afraid of the contents of an unpublished memoir of former Army chief M M Naravane, which sheds light on the Indian top leadership’s response when China was at our borders.
According to Kashmir Media Service, speaking with reporters in the Parliament House complex in New Delhi, Priyanka Gandhi emphasized that debates on crucial issues like China, foreign affairs and or Pakistan have always been part of parliamentary tradition. “It is not as if these subjects have never been discussed before. Be it the government or opposition, both sides have expressed their point of view in the past. So what is the issue in putting forward one’s point of view,” she said.
She further suggested that the government is anxious about what might be revealed in the memoir. “They are scared of the truths that may come to light,” she remarked.
Priyanka Gandhi described the issue as a fundamental matter of democracy and the functioning of Parliament. “This is not just a case of the leader of the opposition being allowed to speak, this is a fundamental issue of democracy and the way Parliament works, she said. “This Parliament is a temple of democracy and it has the people’s faith. Every citizen has faith in it, faith in democracy. What does democracy mean that everyone has the right to expression, everything must be debated,” she asserted.
The Congress leader further said that the government did not allow that book to be published. “There are things in the book which show what was the reaction of our top leadership — our Prime Minister, Home Minister and Defence Minister in times of crisis when China was at our border.” “What did they say and do? What was their eaction when Chinese troops were at our borders?” she asked, adding that the book exposes the government’s true character.
Priyanka Gandhi also referenced the Epstein files, asserting that they contained disturbing revelations about the government’s communications with a convicted sex trafficker and child sex offender. “What was the government trying to achieve by engaging with him? What was the conversation with the US government through him about?” she questioned, noting that the documents in question were authenticated by the US Department of Justice.
“If these issues can’t be discussed in Parliament, then what is the purpose of this institution?” she asked, urging for greater transparency and accountability from the government.
