Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi
, seen as a backbencher in Parliament, today rushed to the well of the Lok Sabha, accused the Speaker of bias and later said, "There is a mood in Parliament that only one man's voice counts for anything in this country."
Mr Gandhi took no names but his barb at Prime Minister Narendra Modi was not missed by the ruling BJP.
In a stinging retort, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said "a section of the leadership of Congress" is under pressure because of its inability to lead. "They see a palace coup. It is a coup within their own party. If you want to show yourself as doing something, it will be better if you lead your own party, rather than develop a contrived aggression against the functioning of the house," he told reporters.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi countered, "Let them say (whatever they want to)."
Mr Gandhi's rare activism surfaced in the Lok Sabha as his party demanded a discussion on communal violence in Uttar Pradesh and other parts of the country. Speaker Sumitra Mahajan turned down the Congress request, provoking allegations of bias from the Congress.(
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"Tanashahi Nahin Chalegi (Down with dictatorship!)" shouted Mr Gandhi near the Speaker's chair.
Justifying his behaviour, he told reporters later, "We are making a point -The speaker's completely one-sided partiality. So that's what we're raising. There is a mentality in the government that discussion is not acceptable." (
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The Speaker reacted, saying, "Don't go by hearsay. I am acting by the rules. I can't do anything about anyone's allegations, I am doing my work sincerely."
Mr Gandhi, 44, is No 2 in the Congress. He fronted his party's bid for the national election in May with disastrous results. The Congress won 44 seats, its worst performance ever. Powered by a high-octane campaign by Mr Modi, the BJP acquired the strongest mandate for a party in 30 years.
Last month, Mr Gandhi appeared to have fallen asleep in Parliament during a debate on price rise. His party defended him with a spokesperson saying, "Many MPs take catnaps." (
Rahul Gandhi was napping in Parliament during price rise debate, says BJP)
Asked about his uncharacteristic vigour in the House today, Mr Gandhi said, "I have raised my voice many times in Parliament."