Centre trying to restrict Opposition's freedom of speech: Congress

The Congress on Monday slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the issue of suspension of its party leaders in the Parliament and said that the Centre has been trying to restrict freedom of speech of the opposition.

Congress leader Shobha Oza told ANI, "The freedom of speech was restricted in the parliament when our MPs tried to protest lynching and violence over cow slaughter and were immediately suspended."

She further alleged that the BJP was somewhere involved directly or indirectly in all kinds of violent activities that were taking place in the society.

Congress leader Adhiranjan Chowdhury told media that "I have no words to describe on what happened today. We tried to speak against the social crimes happening in the society but we were stopped to express our views and were asked to leave the Parliament."

Earlier in the day Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan suspended six Congress MPs for five days when the Congress members misbehaved and raised slogans against the government creating ruckus in the House during the zero hour.

The MPS who were suspended are: Gourav Gogoi, K. Suresh, Adhiranjan Chowdhary, Ranjeet Ranjan, Sushmita Dev and MK Raghwan.