- Wednesday, March 12, 2025
By: Shubham Ghosh
ON the repeated adjournments of both the Houses of the Indian Parliament by the opposition parties, central minister Smriti Irani on Wednesday (20) took a dig at Indian National Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, saying the latter has been politically unproductive and is now hell-bent on ensuring to bring down the productivity of the Lok Sabha or Lower House as well.
Irani, who defeated Gandhi in his Amethi constituency in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh in the 2019 general elections, made the remark came ahead of the third day’s proceedings in the monsoon session. Gandhi still made it to the Lok Sabha by winning from the Wayanad constituency in the southern state of Kerala.
Rahul Gandhi did not ask a single question in the Parliament while he was the MP of Amethi, his attendance has been less than 40% in 2021. Yet, his entire political life has been spent insulting parliamentary traditions!! – @smritiirani pic.twitter.com/SgwQHoTXcQ
— Priti Gandhi – प्रीति गांधी (@MrsGandhi) July 20, 2022
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also hit out at the opposition the same day, accusing it of “disrespecting parliament, bringing down its productivity”.
Addressing a press conference, Irani, who is the minister of women and child development and minority affairs, said that Gandhi never posed a question, always disrespected parliamentary proceedings and he is the one to have less than 40 per cent attendance in the parliament.
The opposition has been holding protests in Parliament on Goods and Services Tax (GST) price rise, inflation and other issues but Smriti Irani specifically attacked Gandhi, saying, ” A gentleman who has made his political collogue to ensure that productive debate does not take place in Parliament had a chequered Parliamentary history. As the Amethi MP he never posed any questions in Parliament once he abandoned Amethi and went to Wayanad his attendance in the Winter Session of Parliament in 2019 was merely 40 per cent.”
“A gentleman who has never proposed a private member bill in Parliament in his parliamentary journey today yet again wants to ensure that health, productive debate, discuss in Parliament does not take place. Today adamant to bring down the productivity of the Lok Sabha,” said the BJP leader.
Irani said that Gandhi’s entire political history has been dotted with showing disrespect to parliamentary procedure and constitutional means of engagement.
“A gentleman whose entire political history has been dotted with showing disrespect to Parliamentary procedure and constitutional means of engagement needs to recognize the Parliament of India reflects the spirit, expectations and aspirations of the people of India. The citizen of India hopes that we use the Parliament as a productive platform to bring forth issues of national importance which will have a socio-political and economic impact on the discourse of the nation,” said Irani.
“Yet again Rahul Gandhi, in yet again session of parliament shows nothing but disrespect to parliamentary procedures of engaging in productive constitutionally enabled discussion,” she added.
Earlier on Tuesday, Rahul Gandhi joined the opposition protest against inflation and 5 per cent goods and service tax (GST) price on essential items, in front of the statue of Mahtama Gandhi statue at the Parliament, on the second day of the monsoon session.
