'Know Your Duty': Ravi Shankar Prasad Schools Rahul Gandhi in Parliament as LoP Reiterates 'PM Compromised'

New Delhi: The Lok Sabha witnessed a sharp confrontation between Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad during the heated debate on a no-confidence motion against Speaker Om Birla. The motion, moved by Congress MP Mohammad Jawed and backed by 118 Opposition MPs, accuses the Speaker of "partisan" conduct, particularly in allegedly restricting Gandhi's ability to raise critical issues in the House.

The exchange escalated when Gandhi interjected during Prasad's remarks, defending his repeated attempts to highlight what he described as fundamental concerns about Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Gandhi stated, "This House is an expression of the people of India," emphasizing its democratic role. He added, "I always raise fundamental questions about promises made by PM Modi," and recounted, "Multiple times I have been stopped from speaking."

Reiterating his core allegation, Gandhi declared, "Our PM has been compromised," linking it to prior instances where he claimed to have been silenced on topics including references to former Army Chief General MM Naravane's unpublished memoir, and other matters.

Prasad countered strongly, asserting that the Opposition consistently avoids facing the truth.

He remarked, "The Opposition never wants to listen to the truth."

Defending the Prime Minister, Prasad said, "PM Narendra Modi can never be compromised," and questioned the basis of Gandhi's claims by asking, "How can you authenticate a book that has not been published?"

He further challenged the rationale behind the no-confidence motion itself, stating, "Why has this no-confidence motion even come up?"

Prasad accused the Opposition of misusing parliamentary tools, urging them not to "weaponise" proceedings against the Speaker to satisfy "the ego of a leader."

Prasad also invoked parliamentary traditions, noting, "There are a lot of Opposition leaders, Indira Gandhi was one, Rajiv was one, Vajpayee was one, LK Advani was one. The tradition of this House was good conduct of LOP." He questioned whether such debates were permissible under point of order rules.

The controversy traces back to February, during the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President's Address, when Gandhi attempted to quote from excerpts of General Naravane's unpublished memoir (titled something along the lines of "Four Stars of Destiny"), which reportedly critiqued aspects of the government's handling of the 2020 India-China border crisis. Interruptions from ruling side members, including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, led to objections over citing unauthenticated, unpublished material, resulting in Gandhi being prevented from continuing.

This incident fueled the Opposition's allegations of bias against Speaker Birla, culminating in the no-confidence resolution. The debate, allocated 10 hours, has seen procedural wrangles, including questions over who should preside and defenses of the Speaker's impartiality from NDA members.

The session highlighted deepening political polarization in Parliament, with the Opposition framing its actions as a defence of free speech and institutional dignity, while the ruling side dismisses them as ego-driven disruptions lacking substance.