Democracy is finished: Priyanka Gandhi says Opposition being silenced in Parliament
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday said "democracy is finished" and called the situation in Parliament "undemocratic", alleging that a debate was not being
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday said "democracy is finished" and called the situation in Parliament "undemocratic", alleging that a debate was not being allowed on students’ issues. Dressed in black in solidarity with protesting students, she spoke a day after opposition leaders staged a protest outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence and were later detained by police. Her remarks came as Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and several other opposition MPs, also dressed in black, protested outside Parliament against the alleged police brutality on protesting students. Read Full Story The Congress said its protest was aimed at drawing national attention to the students’ demands and the opposition’s demand for a discussion in both Houses of Parliament. Speaking to reporters in the Parliament House complex, Priyanka Gandhi said, "In Parliament, debate is not being allowed. The Leader of Opposition is not allowed to speak, and neither are other opposition leaders. Whenever they rise to speak, they are stopped." She also said, "The Speaker says he has to ask the government whether a debate can take place. What is this? Democracy is finished." Referring to the Congress protest outside the prime minister’s 7, Lok Kalyan Marg residence on Tuesday, she said the biggest thing in democracy is freedom of expression and the right to peaceful protest.
"There is nothing undemocratic about that. What is undemocratic is what is happening in Parliament and on the streets," she said. On the detentions during that protest, Priyanka Gandhi said, "What happened to us is irrelevant. We are standing with the students and raising their voice. What happened to the students, was it right or wrong? They are all young students." She added, "They are protesting, and this is not just any protest. It is a genuine issue, a genuine problem. Every parent in this country knows it. Every student in this country knows it. Every teacher in this country knows it. Everyone knows this is a genuine issue." She said the students were only asking for their rights. She said students study with immense dedication and struggle to build a future for themselves, and that their future was being destroyed. Hitting out at the government, she said, "The entire education budget for the youth of this country is Rs 1.4 lakh crore. But you are writing off loans worth Rs 16 lakh crore for Adani ji and Ambani ji. The farmers get nothing, the poor get nothing, and the students get nothing." On Tuesday, opposition leaders including Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav staged a dharna outside the prime minister’s residence, demanding his resignation.
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