Lok Sabha: BJP MP takes veiled jibe at Rahul, calls him a 'child'

BJP MP Parvesh Sahib Singh on Wednesday targeted members of Nehru-Gandhi family, including Congress President Rahul Gandhi, during the discussion on a Bill in Lok Sabha and described Gandhi as a "child" who should stay with his mother as she was not keeping well.

Speaking on the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Amendment Bill, 2019, Verma also sought formation of a Special Investigation Team to identify mosques and graveyards built on government land in Delhi.

"Congress ruled this country for 55 years. Getting birth in a government house, enjoying government facilities and not vacating government house has become their habit," he said without taking any names.

Singh said there was also a trend of converting government houses into memorials.

He also targeted Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

"In our Opposition, there are three members of a family. They have own houses but still have taken government accommodation. One of them is not a member of any House. Her husband is facing CBI cases but they have government accommodation," he said.

As Congress members interrupted, he said he had not taken any names.

"One of the members is a child and he has not got married. He should stay with his mother as she is unwell. He should be with her. The three have taken big houses," the BJP MP said.

"We should set an example. One family has 45 acres of land in New Delhi. How many employees, ministers could have got accommodation in this. We have to set an example," he added.

The BJP member referred to his party leaders including Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj leaving their official residences soon after they were not part of the council of ministers and Shivraj Singh Chouhan leaving his chief ministerial bungalow.

He said candidates should give an affidavit that they will leave official accommodation on time.

He said encroachment on government land for graveyards takes place only in India and accused the Congress of turning a blind eye towards them.

"The party which ruled for 55 years saw them as vote bank," he said.

He said there were 500 places in his West Delhi constituency where such encroachments have taken place.

The MP said if temples and gurdwaras are built on encroached land, action should be taken against them.

He said encroached land belongs to MCD, DDA and gram sabhas and also cited an instance of encroachment of land of flood department.

"If these are vacated, the land will be used for the construction of houses, schools, hospitals," he said.

The BJP MP said Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury only talked about his own problems while taking part in the debate on the Bill.

Trinamool Congress member Saugata Roy raised a point of order and said the BJP MP had indulged in "Muslim bashing". "This is against the Constitution of India," he said.