Congress urges Om Birla not to dub farmers' media byte in Parliament premises as violation

The Congress urged Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday, 30 July not to regard an interaction of farmer leaders with the media after they met Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi in the Parliament complex last week as a violation of decorum, and cited past instances of women filmstars and others interacting with reporters after the women's reservation bill was tabled in the House.

In a letter to Birla, Congress general secretary, organisation, K C Venugopal said when Gandhi was speaking during a discussion on the Union Budget 2024-25 on 29 July, he was told that the decorum of the institution of Parliament was violated when the farmers who had come to meet him spoke to the media.

"First of all, I must point out that non-parliamentarians have spoken to the media earlier too on many occasions. Several women filmstars, artists and sportspersons were invited when the women's reservation bill was introduced, and they had hailed the government's move while speaking to the media," Venugopal said in the letter, according to sources in the Congress.

The Congress had not objected then or on other occasions when visitors to Parliament, including chief ministers and former MPs, spoke with the media, Venugopal pointed out in the letter to the speaker, the sources said.

The opposition party believes that the voice of citizens, whether they are farmers or politicians, strengthens democracy rather than compromising the dignity of Parliament in any way, he said.

"I, on behalf of Indian National Congress, urge you that farmers' interaction with media should not be dubbed as violation of the Parliament's decorum. We should be large-hearted to our 'annadatas' and not be resentful of their right to express themselves, even if in the Parliament premises," Venugopal said in the letter.

"And if the adherence of rules is insisted upon, it should be applicable to all irrespective of their political hue," he added, according to the sources.

During Gandhi's speech, Birla had said one should not raise questions on the arrangements of the House, who to allow and who not to.

In the House, no one other than an honourable member can give a soundbyte and the farmers gave a byte in Gandhi's presence, Birla had said.

A delegation comprising 12 farmer leaders from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka met Gandhi in the Parliament House complex last Wednesday and later, interacted with the media.