Congress demoralising armed forces, Opposition being obstructionist in Parliament: BJP

NEW DELHI: The BJP Monday accused the opposition, especially the Congress, of having an obstructionist approach and called for not politicising a sensitive issue like national security after several parties walked out of Rajya Sabha when their demand for a debate on alleged Chinese incursion was not allowed by the chairman.

Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha and senior BJP leader Piyush Goyal said there are several precedents of demands for a discussion or clarification on sensitive issues not allowed in Parliament when the Congress-led UPA was in power between 2004 and 2014.

It is unfortunate that the opposition’s “frustration” has reached such a level that they have stopped respecting parliamentary rules and regulations or paying any heed to the chairman’s rulings, he told reporters after the walkout.

The Congress, especially, is resorting to a very low level of politics, Goyal, accompanied by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi, said.

The Congress and its leader Rahul Gandhi are “demoralising” the armed forces at a time when the country should speak in one voice and encourage and laud them for their valour, he said, adding, “It is in India’s, its democracy’s and everyone’s interest that an issue as sensitive as national security should not be politicised and Parliament should be allowed to function.”

Opposition parties in the Rajya Sabha walked out of the House on Monday after the Chair rejected demands for a debate on alleged Chinese incursion on the borders.

Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar rejected all the nine notices under rule 267 saying they were not in order. However, Congress and other parties kept insisting on their demand for the suspension of business so the issue could be taken up.

But the chair did not relent, leading to MPs of the Congress, Left, DMK and other parties staging a walkout. (PTI)