SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav and Lok Sabha LoP and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi (R).
Credit: X/@yadavakhilesh
New Delhi: Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav supported Rahul Gandhi in the midst of a heated exchange between the Opposition and treasury benches, and said that the Leader of Opposition must be allowed to speak and question the government on crucial matters. He said that when matters of national security are at hand, conversations must be allowed.
“For this country, issues of border and national security are paramount. When it comes to China border, this becomes crucial. Time and again, Samajwadi leaders have told the government that China is more dangerous to us than Pakistan. They maintain a hawk’s eye on our borders, and have taken up large swathes of our land in the past. And so, if the Leader of Opposition is questioning the government on border issues, the government must answer,” Akhilesh told reporters outside Parliament.
Despite these border issues, our volume of trade with China surpasses our trade with any other country, he added. “Border security, national security and our trade – these three things are crucial,” he said.
Important matters should be allowed to be raised. “That is the reason we have been selected and sent to Parliament. We must be allowed to put forward our issues,” he said.
“The Prime Minister, the defence minister and the home minister were all present. If the LoP raised an issue, he should have been allowed to ask,” Akhilesh added.