New Delhi: The Lok Sabha was muted for around 20 minutes on Friday, the fifth day of the second phase of the Budget session. This was after Opposition MPs stormed the well of the lower House crying "Rahul ji ko bolne do" (meaning "Let Rahul speak"). The House adjourned soon after. Similar unrest was witnessed at the Rajya Sabha which was also adjourned half an hour after it commenced its business on Wednesday.
Congress took the opportunity to flood the internet with videos of the moment the audio was turned off. The party also shared memes of Rajya Sabha Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. The Lok Sabha 'audio-off' episode comes weeks after former Congress President Rahul Gandhi's 'democracy in India' comment at an event in London that has caused a lot of ire for the ruling BJP. The Congress accused the Modi government of hitting a new low. Initially, mics of opposition MPs were muted, today the entire proceedings of the House were muted, the Congress alleged.
Congress Communication-in-charge Jairam Ramesh retweeted the Lok Sabha 'audio snap' episode saying "Democracy in speech, tyranny in action".
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said, "Not giving the opportunity to MPs elected by people to speak in Parliament and Lok Sabha proceedings muted is against democratic traditions. This is an attempt to silence the voice of the countrymen. Is this a sign of a healthy democracy? It was on these issues that Rahul Gandhi undertook the Bharat Jodo Yatra."
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel wrote on Twitter, "They were surprised when Rahul Gandhi mentioned that mikes of the opposition members were switched off. Today the Lok Sabha as a whole was muted. What more proof do you need!"
The government denied that the muting was intentional. They said that it was only a technical glitch. However, such instances where the audio was muted have taken place during the proceedings of the House, in the past as well.
The second phase of the Budget session had to be adjourned repeatedly over ruckus on Rahul Gandhi's 'democracy' comment with little business taking place. While the opposition has upped their demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe on the Adani issue, the BJP MPs have sharpened their attack against Rahul Gandhi. The opposition claims that this strategy has been adapted by the saffron brigade to distract the people from important issues like unemployment and price rise.
