Parliament adjourned for the day: Democracy under attack: Rahul Gandhi

New Delhi: The parliamentary proceedings were stalled on Monday following uproarious scenes in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha over Rahul Gandhi's "democracy under attack" remarks in the UK, with senior BJP ministers seeking an apology over the comments and the Congress countering it with its JPC demand on the Adani issue. While in Lok Sabha, Defence Minister and Deputy Leader of the House Rajnath Singh and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi led the government's charge against Gandhi, Union minister Piyush Goyal in Rajya Sabha demanded that Gandhi's statements be condemned by the Upper House. Kharge objected to Goyal's statements, citing two previous rulings of the House, and asked Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar to expunge the remarks of the leader of the House.

Speaking to the media outside Parliament, Kharge hit back at the government for raising the issue of Gandhi's remarks in Parliament, saying those "crushing" democracy are talking of saving it. The BJP onslaught came a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi lashed out at the Wayanad MP during an event in poll-bound Karnataka for his comments on democracy in India, saying the remarks were an affront to its people.

After obituary references in Lok Sabha, Singh stood up and charged that Gandhi has tried to defame India in London through his remarks on Indian democracy. "Rahul Gandhi, who is a member of the Lok Sabha, had gone to London and tried to 'discredit' India and said the democratic system in India is completely crumbling. He also said that foreign powers should save India's democracy. He tried to 'deeply hurt' India's honour and prestige," he said. Singh also requested Speaker Om Birla that the House should condemn Gandhi's remarks and the Congress leader be directed to tender an apology. Later in the day, Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury wrote to Birla and said both Singh and Joshi made "unsubstantiated" remarks against Gandhi without prior notice and no opportunity was accorded to the members of his party to refute the allegations.