In a meeting held in the Speaker's chamber on Thursday, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi expressed his disapproval over Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla's reference to the Emergency in the House. Gandhi condemned it as clearly political and avoidable, as conveyed by Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal to reporters following the meeting.
Attending the meeting alongside Gandhi were Dimple Yadav of the Samajwadi Party, Misa Bharti of the RJD, and Supriya Sule, representing the Sharad Pawar faction of the NCP.
The visit was primarily a courtesy call, during which Gandhi raised the issue of the Speaker invoking the Emergency in the House, Venugopal stated.
The Speaker's reference to the Emergency during his second consecutive term as Speaker on Wednesday sparked protests from the Congress. Birla read out a resolution condemning the imposition of the Emergency on the night of June 25-26, 1975, and observed a two-minute silence in remembrance of those who perished during that dark period.
Congress members stormed into the well of the House during Birla's statement, leading to an adjournment.
President Droupadi Murmu also alluded to the Emergency in her address to a joint session of Parliament on Thursday, terming it the biggest attack on the Constitution and the darkest chapter in India's history.
