PM avoided Lok Sabha fearing Naravane book issue and not because of security threat, says Rahul Gandhi

The Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha said that if there was a threat to the PM from MPs, then an FIR should have been filed against those.

New Delhi: Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Monday claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not come to the House to reply to the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President's address as he was scared of the issue of former army chief MM Naravane's book and not because of MPs trying to attack him.

Rahul told reporters that if there was a threat to the Prime Minister from MPs last Thursday, then an FIR should have been filed against those threatening Modi and arrest them. 

His comments came as Congress women MPs wrote to Speaker Om Birla, objecting to his claims that he had information that Congress MPs were going to indulge in "unforeseen" protests against the Prime Minister.

"The fact is very clear. The Prime Minister was scared to come to the House, not because of the MPs, but because of what I was saying. He's still scared because he can't face the truth. There's no question of our MPs attacking the Prime Minister. He should have the courage to come," he said.

"I also mentioned that if somebody said that he’s going to attack the PM, then please file an FIR, arrest that person. Why aren't you doing that?" he said. 

He said the “one big issue” is that the LoP and the entire Opposition was not allowed to speak in the President's Address. 

“First, they said that I can't quote a book. Then I said I'm not quoting a book, I'm quoting a magazine. Then they said you can't quote a magazine. I said I'll speak about it, but they didn't want me to speak about it. The defence ninister said, falsely, that the book hasn't been published. In fact, the book has been published and we've got a copy of it also," he said.

Without taking Nishikant Dubey's name, he said the second issue is that one of their MPs, quoting multiple books, spoke “very vile stuff” and it was allowed.

“We don’t like the fact that they can say whatever they want, whenever they want, and the opposition cannot. The third issue is the suspension of our MPs. The final issue, which we are very disturbed about, is this idea that has been floated that MPs were going to threaten the Prime Minister. There’s no question of that,” he said.

“The fact is very clear. The PM was scared to come to the House, not because of the MPs, but because of what I was saying. He is still scared because he cannot face the truth. There’s no question of our MPs attacking the Prime Minister. He should have the courage to come. I also mentioned that if somebody said that he’s going to attack the PM, then please file an FIR, arrest that person. Why are you not doing that?” he said.