'Rahul Gandhi Ko Kya Mirchi Lagti Hai': Piyush Goyal Lashes Out at LoP Over Parliament Ruckus, Questioning India-US Trade Deal

New Delhi: On a day when Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi was prevented to read out excerpts from former Army Chief General Naravane's book in Parliament for the second consecutive day, which prompted him to level charges that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is “rattled” and “compromised,” Union Minister of Commerce Piyush Goyal accused the senior Congress MP of opposing India's progress.

“Rahul Gandhi appears to be uncomfortable with the nation's development and does not want to see India move towards a bright future,” Goyal said in a press conference on Tuesday while sharing some details about the recently announced India-US trade deal.

Lashing out at the LoP, the Commerce Minister questioned, “Rahul Gandhi ko kya mirchi lagti hai? (Why is Rahul Gandhi feeling the sting?),” further asking him that he needs to come clear about what he wants to achieve “with this negative mentality.” 

Goyal said that Rahul Gandhi has the habit to trying to create disorder in the country, and has earlier raised questions about the Indian armed forces.

Speaking about how the the country will be benefitted with the India-US trade deal, Goyal said that the government had intended to present it in the Parliament on Tuesday, but could not do so as the House was adjourned abruptly after Opposition MPs protested against preventing the LoP from raising a matter allegedly concerning national security. 

"Normally, we would have wanted to speak about this in Parliament, but we all witnessed that disgraceful scene. The way the opposition, especially the Congress party under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi and their allies the DMK, TMC, and Samajwadi Party, behaved so disgracefully in Parliament today. They even reached the Speaker's chair and insulted him. I strongly condemn the opposition and Rahul Gandhi, because of whom we have come here today to give you this information instead of speaking in Parliament," he described the unruly scenes in the Parliament on Tuesday.

What Happened in Parliament on Tuesday 

The Lok Sabha witnessed fiery scenes on Tuesday, as Opposition MPs threw papers directed at the Chair in protest after Rahul Gandhi was prevented from quoting from General Naravane's memoir. The Speaker had earlier ruled that Rahul Gandhi cannot quote from an unpublished memoir or a magazine article based on it.

When Rahul Gandhi insisted on making his remarks on the India-China standoff in Ladakh, the Chair called other members to speak on he motion of thanks to the President's Address. This prompted the Congress and Opposition members to resort to sloganeering. Some members were seen throwing papers directed at the Chair.

When the House resumed its proceedings at 3 pm, BJP member Dilip Saikia, who was in the Chair, suspended eight opposition members for the remainder of the session. These included senior leaders Hibi Eden, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Manickam Tagore, Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Kiran Kumar Reddy, Prashant Padole, S. Venkatesan and Dean Kuriakose. 

What Rahul Gandhi Said About the India-US Deal

After not being allowed to speak in the Lower House, Rahul Gandhi hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the India-US trade deal. “Modi ji is rattled. The (US-India) trade deal, which was stalled for the past few months, was signed by Narendra Modi last night. There is extreme pressure on him. Narendra Modi ji's image can get damaged. The main thing is that our PM is compromised. The public needs to think about this,” he said, speaking to reporters, after coming out of the Parliament.

"For the first time, the LoP was not allowed to speak on the President's speech. Narendra Modi ji has sold your hard work in this trade deal because he is compromised. He has sold the country. Narendra Modi ji is scared because those who shaped his image are now breaking this image," he added. 

ALSO READ: India-US Trade Deal: Piyush Goyal Reveals Over Ten Sectors That Will Get A Boost