'Murder of democracy': Opposition leaders protest Centre's move to curtail Monsoon Session, handling of disruptions in Houses

Congress President Rahul Gandhi alleged that the voice of 60 percent population was crushed, humiliated in Parliament

Opposition parties on Thursday upped the ante against the government, taking a joint march from Parliament and accusing it of "murdering democracy" and bringing in a sort of "martial law" to push through bills in Parliament, whose Monsoon session was adjourned sine die on Wednesday — two days before schedule — amid vociferous protests on Pegasus and farmers' protest issues.

Scaling up the united Opposition protest, Congress President Sonia Gandhi has also called a meeting of Opposition Chief Ministers on August 20, where the strategy for a joint Opposition campaign against the government at the state level will be finalised.

After a meeting in the Parliament office of Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday, leaders of 11 parties including former Congress President Rahul Gandhi marched from Parliament to Vijay Chowk and issued a joint statement, accusing the government of "authoritarian attitude and undemocratic actions" and alleged that opposition MPs, including women members, were "manhandled" by outsiders who were not part of Parliament security.

Rahul Gandhi said, "The voice of 60 percent of the population was crushed, humiliated in Parliament. As far as 60 percent of the country is concerned, there was no Parliament session. We raised the issue of Pegasus. We asked the government to discuss it. They did not accept.... This is nothing short of the murder of democracy."

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The joint statement issued by Opposition leaders said, "the Government stonewalled the Opposition demand for discussion. The present Government does not believe in Parliamentary accountability and was running away from debate on Pegasus which resulted in a deadlock. The Monsoon session of Parliament was deliberately derailed by the Government which has scant respect for the institution of Parliamentary democracy."

The statement signed by Gandhi, Kharge, Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Congress' Deputy Leader in the Upper House Anand Sharma, NCP's Sharad Pawar, DMK's T R Balu and T Siva, Samajwadi Party's Ramgopal Yadav, Shiv Sena's Sanjay Raut, RJD's Manoj Jha, CPI(M)'s Elamaram Kareem, IUML's ET Mohd. Basheer, CPI's Binoy Viswam, RSP's N K Premachandran, Kerala Congress (M)'s Thomas Chazhikadan, also accused the government of remaining "arrogant, insincere and obdurate" even as "the Opposition had been repeatedly requesting the Government to sincerely engage with the Opposition parties to break the impasse."

"It is the Government, which is squarely responsible for the stalemate, has refused to accept the opposition’s demand for an informed debate in both the houses. The Government used its brute majority to push through its legislative agenda in violation of established procedures, conventions and spirit of Parliamentary democracy," it said.

The Opposition parties alleged the government used its brute majority to push through its legislative agenda in violation of established procedures, conventions and the spirit of Parliamentary democracy.

Also Read | 'Marshals used unacceptable force': Opposition leaders apprise Naidu of ruckus in Rajya Sabha

"To divert attention from its own conduct and actions, the Government has unleashed a state-sponsored, malicious and misleading campaign by blaming the combined Opposition for the disruption of Parliament," the Opposition statement said, hours before a battery of Union Ministers addressed a press conference that laid the blame at the ruckus in Parliament at the Opposition's door.

Kharge tweeted against the government saying "inside Parliament, they manhandle & suspend MPs and refuse to have debates on any issue of national importance. Outside Parliament, they arrest journalists & activists, lock SM accounts of the Opposition and unleash violent mobs. Why is PM Narendra Modi not fearful of debates?"

Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut alleged that the security marshals were called in on Wednesday during the passage of the Insurance Amendment Bill to privatise general insurance companies in the Rajya Sabha.

Also Read | Opposition MPs manhandled marshals, strict action should be taken: Parliamentary affairs minister

"I felt we were standing on Pakistan's border. It was not as if Marshals were brought in but martial law was being brought in," he said, ruling that even women MPs were mishandled.

DMK's T Siva said he had not witnessed in the last few decades what he saw happening in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday with the government calling in the Marshals. "Literally two women MPs were dragged. Rajya Sabha TV blacked out all that happened in the House. All Opposition parties are now united against this authoritarian government as democracy is in peril today."

Praful Patel of NCP said "Opposition's voice was not heard at all in this session. It is very shameful. Sharad Pawar is very saddened about it."

Manoj Jha of RJD, alleged "we were not allowed to speak in Parliament. Yesterday what we saw in Parliament was Martial law. The Insurance Bill was not passed by Parliament but Marital law. It's time to hit the streets."

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