Why does Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla have it in for Rahul Gandhi?

Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi on 26 March, Wednesday, claimed that he was not being given a chance to speak in the Lower House of Parliament, which was being run in a "non-democratic style", and said that Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla had made "unsubstantiated" remarks about him.

Gandhi's remarks came after Birla asked him to follow the rules of procedure that members are expected to observe to uphold the dignity of the House.

It was not immediately clear what was the reason for the Speaker to make the observation.

The former Congress president said the Speaker made remarks about him and then adjourned the House without giving him an opportunity to speak.

"The Speaker just got up and left. He did not allow me to speak a word. He was speaking about me, and I don't know what he said about me, all unsubstantiated. I said, 'Let me speak as you have spoken about me', but he did not say a word and just left. He adjourned the House when there was no need of it," the former Congress president said.

About 70 Congress Lok Sabha MPs, including deputy leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi, party general secretary K.C. Venugopal and party whip in the Lok Sabha Manickam Tagore, met the Lok Sabha speaker and raised the denial of opportunity for Gandhi to speak in the House.

Speaking with reporters in the parliament complex, Gandhi said there is a convention that the Leader of Opposition is allowed to speak, but whenever he gets up to speak, he is not allowed to speak.

"So, in what manner is this House being run? We are not being allowed to speak. I have not done anything. I was sitting quietly; I did not speak anything. In the last 7-8 days, I have not been allowed to speak," the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said.

In a democracy, the opposition has a place and the government has its own place; but here, there is no place for the Opposition, he alleged.

Gandhi said he wanted to speak on the Maha Kumbh last week after Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made a statement on it, but he was not allowed to speak.

"I wanted to state that it is good that Kumbh happened and I wanted to speak about unemployment, but I was not allowed to speak. I don't know what thinking or approach does the Speaker have, but the truth is we are not being allowed to speak. It (the House) is being run in a non-democratic style," Gandhi claimed.

Earlier, in his remarks, the Speaker said members are expected to conduct themselves in a manner that upholds the high standards and dignity of the House.

"Several instances have come to my notice where the conduct of members does not conform to the high standards," the Speaker said.

"In this House, father and daughter, mother and daughter, husband and wife have been members. In this context, I expect the Leader of the Opposition to conduct himself in accordance with Rule 349 that deals with rules to be observed by members in the House," the Speaker said.

"Especially, it is expected of the Leader of the Opposition to conduct himself as per the rules," the Speaker said.