Fresh storm in Lok Sabha over ‘yaar’: Rahul Gandhi rakes up memoir, Chair objects

New Delhi: Amid the fierce government-Opposition face-off over Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi’s references to the Ladakh stand-off in August 2020, a fresh storm broke out in Lok Sabha over ‘yaar’ (slang for friend) comment, purportedly made by someone from the Opposition benches.

Krishna Prasad Tenneti, officiating as the House Chairman took strong objection to it and schooled the Congress lawmakers, terming it unparliamentary and objectionable, though the latter took it in a lighter vein and said that there was nothing wrong in it.

“You can’t address the Chair as yaar,” the acting Chairman told the Opposition leaders sternly.

Earlier, as the Lok Sabha resumed at 2 PM after disruptions since morning, chaos and bedlam prevailed in the Lower House as Congress MP Rahul Gandhi insisted on raking up memoirs from an article based on the former Army Chief Manoj Naravane’s unpublished book and the House Chairman refused to give permission for the same.

The Congress MP claimed that he was “not being allowed to speak in the House” despite authenticating the source of information.

The Chair rejected his argument claiming that Under Rule 239, the Speaker gave a ruling that debars members of the House referring to or speaking about unverified or vague facts.

LoP Rahul Gandhi, continuing with his charge, stated that he was merely raising the issue raised in Ladakh and how Prime Minister Modi reacted to it.

“Our President’s Address was about the path and direction that India should take. On the global stage, the main issue is conflict between United States and China. This is central to our strategic interests. Why should I be stopped from raising it?,” he said, protesting denial of permission to speak on the issue.

While Rahul Gandhi remained unrelenting and the Chair repeatedly objected to it, the House witnessed loud uproar and noisy scenes. The Opposition members resorted to sloganeering, protesting against the Chair’s decision to deny the Leader of Opposition, the right to speak and raise matters of national importance.

IANS