Govt suppressing opposition voice: Congress

Congress members staged a dharna in the Parliament complex for the third consecutive day

Keeping up with its offensive over suspension of party MPs, Congress top brass Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today staged a dharna in Parliament complex for the third consecutive day, accusing the Government of "suppressing" their voice.

"Our voice is being suppressed in Parliament," Rahul Gandhi said agitating against suspension of 25 Congress MPs.

Joined by members of SP, JD-U and RJD, the Congress MPs also shouted slogans accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of backing Lalit Modi and asked him to break his silence over various controversies including the Vyapam scam.

Both Sonia and Rahul, who was flanked by Sharad Yadav and K C Tyagi of JD-U and Jaya Prakash Naryana Yadav of RJD, vociferously raised slogans along with other protestors denouncing the Narendra Modi dispensation.

SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav's son Tej Pratap Yadav and party MP Dharmendra Yadav were also present.

"Gujarat Model will not be allowed here, "When Hitlarshaahi did not work, how will Modishaahi work", "End dictatorship", "Prime Minister break silence", "Where the "Achhe din" have gone", "Sushma Swaraj resign", were among the slogans raised by the protestors, who sported black bands on their arms.

Dismissing the government offer of talks to break the logjam, former Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath said, "Talks should have been initiated before the session began. No talk happened for 15 days. Now, when only last one week of the session remains, they say lest us discuss.

"Now what talk will happen when only five-six days of the session remain. Congress has made its stand clear," Nath said, making it clear that normalcy is unlikely to return to the House in this session.

When pointed out that the government is accusing the main Opposition of blocking the passage of key bills, Nath said the BJP should not teach Congress a lesson.

"We know what we are doing. They should remember what they had done when they were in opposition..It is sad that MPs have been suspended. I had also been a Parliamentary Affairs Minister. Never before MPs were suspended in this manner," he said.

Party's chief whip in the Lok Sabha Jyotiraditya Scindia had yesterday itself ruled out suspended MPs seeking apology of Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, who, he alleged, had acted only Congress Members.

CPI-M members later organised a sit in in front of the main gate of Parliament shouting slogans against Government and slamming it for suspending Congress MPs.