BJP killing parliamentary democracy in country

Hyderabad: Congress MP & former TPCC president N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Saturday strongly condemned the BJP MPs for misbehaving and heckling Congress president Sonia Gandhi at Parliament.

He said Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary's remarks on President Draupadi Murmu were inadvertent slip of tongue. He immediately expressed regret and also apologised for the same. However, BJP made it a big issue and tried to drag Sonia Gandhi into the controversy.

"After the Lok Sabha was adjourned, Union Minister Smriti Irani and a few other BJP MPs heckled her. They behaved in a demeaning and disgraceful manner," he said.

Uttam accused the BJP of trying to score political points by constantly referring to the caste and gender of someone who holds the highest constitutional post of the President of India by referring to her caste and gender.

The Congress MP asked BJP leaders to stop enacting the dramas of 'defending President Marmu'. "She is the President of India the Commander-in-Chief of our armed forces. She doesn't need any sympathy and protection from BJP leaders. Every citizen of this country loves and respects her. Therefore, BJP leaders must stop giving statements which reduce the stature of the President of India," he demanded.

Uttam described the suspension of Opposition MPs from both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha as 'unprecedented' and 'unfair'. "When BJP was in Opposition, its leaders including Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj had stated that holding a protest in the well of the House was a form of Parliamentary democracy. But today they are finding a fault with the same act," he said.