Rahul Gandhi always speaks outside Parliament: Rudy

Rajiv Pratap Rudy said that Rahul Gandhi always preferred to speak outside Parliament instead inside

Kolkata, Dec 16: Slamming Congress Vice-president Rahul Gandhi, Union minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy on Friday said he always preferred to speak outside Parliament and accused the Opposition of not letting Lok Sabha to function.

"The Congress vice-president always speaks outside the Parliament in front of the media and the country is waiting to hear him speak in Parliament", Rudy said on the sidelines of two programmes here.

"There is a seat alloted to him in Parliament and I also believe that there is also a functional microphone in front of him. If he is not availing of this opportunity to speak in Parliament, then God help him," he said when asked to comment on Gandhi's statement that he (Rahul) has not been given the chance to speak in Parliament.

On the washout of the Lok Sabha winter session, the BJP leader said, "It's bizarre to say that it's the ruling party which is shying away. It's the opposition which does not want to come along and debate on it (demonetisation). And today was the last day of the Parliament (session)," he said.

"Their (opposition) only success was that they disrupted the Parliament session," he said. He alleged that Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee instructed her MPs to obstruct the House.

"We are always prepared to be in the Parliament. We have always been sitting there and the Prime Minister has been sitting there too. It's a blatant lie because the world has watched how the Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs have been coming down to the well of the Lower House," the union minster said.

"Actually, I have no idea, why people in the government holding important positions, are so restless about the issue. "There are political leaders who are losing out space as far as the common man is concerned, possibly this is creating lot of restlessness," he remarked.

He asserted that people have shifted their allegiance from Delhi Chief Minister and West Bengal Chief Minister to the Prime Minister "who has made the country proud".

"When the PM was elected or prior to parliamentary elections, there was a commitment against black money and corruption. Earlier, the black money and corruption were tagged with the ruling party.

"We are committed to and proud of the PM who has taken up this crusade and the common man has welcomed the step," he added. The country is heading to a cashless society, he added.

PTI