Key Takeaways
- The Sonia Gandhi accused the government of strangulating democracy by suspending numerous opposition MPs.
- The Congress Party reiterated its demand for full statehood and elections in Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.
- The suspension marks an unprecedented move, with many Opposition MPs barred from participating in parliamentary debates.
New Delhi: Amid large-scale suspension of Opposition MPs in both Houses of Parliament, Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday accused the Centre of ‘strangulating democracy’.
Addressing the CPP meeting here, Gandhi said, “Never before have so many Opposition members of Parliament been suspended from the House, and that too, simply for raising a perfectly reasonable and legitimate demand.”
Describing as “inexcusable” the Parliament security breach incident on December 13, she criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for speaking on it only outside the parliament.
Talking about the Bills related to Jammu and Kashmir which were passed in the Parliament in the ongoing winter session, Gandhi accused the government of “distorting history” and running a relentless campaign against independent India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
“Our position on Jammu & Kashmir has been clear and consistent: Full statehood must be restored immediately, and elections must be held at the earliest. The aspirations of the people of Ladakh are equally important, they must be addressed and shown the respect they deserve,” she said.
