Rahul, Congress trying to defame constitutional institutions: Union minister Meghwal

New Delhi: Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal has said that Rahul Gandhi should present his grievances about the polling process before the Election Commission, as he accused the Congress MP and his party of overlooking facts and defaming the constitutional institutions of the country.

In an interview with PTI Videos, Meghwal said while the government is constantly requesting the Opposition to let the Parliament function smoothly, the aim of the Congress and its leader in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, is beyond understanding.

Responding to a question on Rahul Gandhi's demand for a discussion in Parliament on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, Meghwal said, “I think the Opposition should look at the precedent of former Lok Sabha speaker Balram Jakhar in this regard.” Jakhar had turned down a demand for a discussion in the House on the Election Commission’s functioning given that the poll panel is conceived as an independent entity.

“It is on record, so they better check it and then talk,” Meghwal said.

On Goa government’s renewed push for a Bill to reserve Assembly seats for Scheduled Tribes in the state, Meghwal said, “The population of Scheduled Tribes has increased in Goa but currently there is not a single MLA from the community in the state Assembly. Under the Bill which we are bringing, seats for the ST category will increase in the Assembly.” “We are talking about the interests of the ST community, for which we are bringing the Bill. But the Opposition, including the Congress, does not want to discuss this issue. Their objective is not understandable,” the minister said.

Asked about the objections raised by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and leaders of some opposition parties on CISF deployment in Rajya Sabha’s Well, Meghwal, who is also the minister of state for parliamentary affairs, said an incident had happened in the Lok Sabha where two men jumped off the visitors’ gallery.

“This was a decision taken by the Lok Sabha speaker and Rajya Sabha chairman. What does the government has to do with it? They (Opposition) should talk to the Chair about this,” Meghwal said.

There was a major security breach during Zero Hour in Lok Sabha in December 2023 when two men, both carrying canisters emitting yellow smoke, jumped off the visitors' gallery and ran into the Lok Sabha chamber.

Asked about the status of the ongoing process regarding the removal of Justice Yashwant Verma over the alleged recovery of a large sum of unaccounted cash from his official residence in Delhi, the law minister said the matter is pending with the Lok Sabha speaker.