"INDIA will not be intimidated but...": Congress chief Kharge

New Delhi [India], August 1 (ANI): Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday said that the Bharatiya Janata Party government was trying to threaten and intimidate the opposition parties, but they will keep on fighting against them to save democracy and the Constitution.
Kharge said he was being insulted in the Parliament as he was not allowed to speak in the Rajya Sabha, despite being the Leader of the Opposition.
Talking to reporters along with several other senior leaders of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) at the Vijay Chowk today, the Congress president said, “INDIA will not be intimidated and INDIA was not constituted to run away”.
He said, "This government was resorting to dictatorship and Hitlershahi, but no matter how much injustice the government does with them (the opposition), “We will keep on fighting against them, and we will defeat them in 2024”.
“We will continue to work for the public interest and lay down whatever sacrifices are required of us to save the democracy and the constitution”, he said.
Taking a dig at the government’s claims that it treated everyone at par, he said, he was not even allowed to speak and whenever he rose to speak, the mic was switched off within ten seconds. He said this was an insult to him.
 “Is this the democracy?” he asked while remarking, “This is a dictatorship and this is Hitler-Shahi”.
He pointed out that a record number of 65 members of the Rajya Sabha had sought discussion under rule 267.
He said, this was for the first time that so many members had sought suspension of business, to discuss Manipur, since it was not an ordinary incident, adding that about 200 people had died, while 5,000 others were injured and 60,000 families had to leave their homes.
“Despite incidents of women are paraded naked and people killed, the government is not ready for discussion and the Prime Minister is running away from debate”, he added.
He pointed out that the Prime Minister had time to campaign in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. “Even today, the PM was in Pune. What was the urgency. Wherever he (the PM) goes he maligns the opposition leaders”, Kharge said.
“Let the PM say whatever he wants to say, but say it in the parliament. Let him come to the parliament and make the statement, and we will listen to it and answer all the questions”, he added.
Further adding that the Home Minister cannot substitute for the Prime Minister, the Congress president pointed out, “The HM has certain limitations while the PM has access to all sorts of information and feedback, which the HM does not have. Only the PM is in a better position to make a statement on such an issue like Manipur”, Kharge said.
Kharge also cited several past precedents when the question hour was suspended and important issues discussed and even the Prime Minister spoke.
He said, in August 2012, question hour was suspended after the then BJP member M Venkaiah Naidu raised the matter of attacks on migrants from the North-East in different parts of the country. He said the matter was discussed and the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh made a statement in the parliament on the issue.
The Congress president said, “A senior Rajya Sabha MP Rajani Patil was suspended in the last session and her suspension was still not revoked although another session had started. Similarly, when another member Sanjay Singh wanted to raise the matter under rules, he was also suspended for one full session.” (ANI)