New Delhi, Feb 12 (IANS) Congress MP K.C. Venugopal on Thursday launched a sharp attack on the Narendra Modi-led Central government, accusing it of evading questions raised by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi in the Parliament and alleging that the government was suppressing Opposition voices.

Challenging the Treasury benches to respond to Rahul Gandhi’s speech, Venugopal said: “If they have any response to Rahul Gandhi’s speech, I challenge them to present it. The Opposition raised very important and pertinent issues during the speech yesterday. However, (Finance Minister) Nirmala Sitharaman did not utter a single word in response to the questions raised by Rahul Gandhi. If they have the courage, they should reply directly to his questions.”

He alleged that instead of addressing the issues, the government was attempting to divert attention. “There has been no response from their side. Instead, they are creating distractions. If you have a valid reply, then respond to Rahul Gandhi’s speech. The reason they are resorting to such tactics is that they have no answers,” he said.

Venugopal further accused the government of compromising national interests in its dealings with the United States. “They have completely surrendered the interests of India to the US. Just like the Indian rupee has weakened against the US dollar, India’s interests have also been surrendered to the US,” he alleged.

Explaining the Opposition’s decision to move a no-confidence motion against Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Venugopal said it was an “extreme step” taken after repeated complaints went unheard.

“Why did we take the extreme step of moving a no-confidence motion against the Speaker? Because we have been complaining continuously that we are not getting justice from the Chair. The government pressures the Chair and ignores Opposition voices. We are not allowed to raise issues, but they can. There are double standards, Rahul’s words are expunged, while Nirmala’s remarks remain,” he said.

He alleged that the Parliament was functioning in a manner that favoured the government. “Parliament should serve the people, not the government. But today it appears that it is serving the government. We are ready for anything; we will continue to tell the truth for the people of this country,” he said.

On the government’s reported move to bring a privilege motion against Rahul Gandhi, Venugopal dismissed it as a “big drama”.

“Which privilege? They can bring any motion against him. Last time, they tried to remove his membership. What happened? The people elected him again with an even bigger mandate. Compare the votes of Varanasi and Rae Bareli; after being removed from Parliament, he was re-elected with a larger majority. We are not bothered by this privilege motion or any other move,” he said.

In a strong remark, he added: “If you want to hang us, hang us — we are ready for that too. Because in this Parliament, telling the truth has become a sin. But we will continue to speak the truth in Parliament for the people of this country.”

The remarks come amid escalating tensions between the government and the Opposition over proceedings in the House, including expunction of remarks and alleged procedural bias.

–IANS

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