India News | Situation Wasn't This Bad Even During British Rule: TMC on Unparliamentary Words Row

Kolkata, Jul 14 (PTI) The Trinamool Congress on Wednesday hit out at the BJP on the "gag order" over the use of certain words in Parliament, alleging that the situation was not so bad even during the British rule.

Speaking to reporters, TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee questioned the need for convening a Parliament session if the opposition is not allowed to express their views.

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"It is shameful that words such as 'abused', 'betrayed', 'corrupt' can't be used while pointing to the government's failures. MPs speak in Parliament on behalf of the people. This is autocratic. The situation was not so bad even during British rule," he said.

"What is the use of convening a Parliament session or even having the Parliament, if the government decides what we will speak and how we will speak? They want to decide on what we will wear, what we will do, and how we will speak. They are running the country like a personal fiefdom," he added.

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Abhishek, a Lok Sabha MP and the nephew of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, claimed the BJP was focused on stifling the voice of the opposition by such a gag order, rather than being concerned about fuel prices.

The comments came amid a controversy over the publication of a booklet by the Lok Sabha Secretariat that listed words such as 'ashamed', 'jumlajeevi', 'taanashah', 'abused', 'betrayed', 'corrupt', 'drama', 'hypocrisy' and 'incompetent' as unparliamentary expressions.

However, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla clarified that no word has been banned from use in Parliament, and members are free to express their views while maintaining the decorum of the House.

Banerjee said the president of the country should have inaugurated the national emblem atop the new Parliament building, and not the prime minister.

"More than how the lions looks, I feel the president of the country should have unveiled it. It is an insult to the president. They claim they have made a person from the scheduled castes community the president, but don't respect the chair," he said.

Taking on the BJP over its claim that many TMC lawmakers would vote for NDA nominee Droupadi Murmu, Banerjee said if his party opens its doors, the opposition party will cease to exist in West Bengal.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)