"Murder of democracy," says Rahul Gandhi at Opposition's march to protest Monsoon Session's curtailment

Members of Parliament (MP) from Opposition parties took out a march on August 12 to protest the curtailment of the Monsoon Session of Parliament. The members said they will also meet Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu.

The march was taken out from Parliament to Vijay Chowk. Earlier, the leaders met at the office of Mallikarjun Kharge, the leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha.

“Today, we had to come out here to speak as we are not allowed to speak in the Parliament. This is a murder of democracy.”  Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said at Vijay Chowk in Delhi.

Delhi | Opposition leaders march towards Vijay Chowk from Parliament demanding repeal of Centre's three farm laws pic.twitter.com/y9E3U5PxES

— ANI (@ANI) August 12, 2021

The move comes a day after both Houses of Parliament were adjourned sine die, two days ahead of the scheduled conclusion.

The opposition has accused the government of not allowing debates on important issues in the House. The government on its part held the Opposition responsible for hampering the functioning of the Parliament.

READ: Lok Sabha productivity drops to 22 percent, 76 hours lost to disruptions in Rajya Sabha in Monsoon Session

“The Parliament session is over. As far as 60% of the country is concerned there has been no Parliament session. The voice of 60% of the country has been crushed, humiliated, and yesterday in the Rajya Sabha physically beaten,” Gandhi said.

The Session that began on July 19 was marred by ruckus and uproar with Opposition members stalling proceedings in both the Houses demanding discussions on the Pegasus Project Report, farmers' agitation and price rise.

Also, read Parliament Monsoon Session: Opposition blames Centre for deadlock, seeks debate on Pegasus in both Houses

The only occasion when the House functioned in an orderly manner was during the passage and voting of the constitutional amendment to restore states' powers to draft their own list of Other Backward Castes (OBCs) for reservation in jobs and educational institutions. The amendment bill was passed with a majority and Opposition support in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

"The opposition didn't get a chance to present their views in Parliament. Yesterday's incident against women MPs was against democracy. It felt like we were standing at the Pakistan border," said Sanjay Raut of the Shiv Sena

On the last day of the session, the Bill to privatise general insurance companies was passed in the Rajya Sabha amid protests.

The Opposition alleged that women members were pushed back by male marshals in Rajya Sabha on the last day. “In my 55 years of parliamentary career, I never saw the way the women MPs were attacked today,” said NCP chief Sharad Pawar.

The government has condemned the ruckus by Opposition leaders and demanded a probe by a committee.

Despite the uproar, the Lok Sabha could pass 19 Bills while the Rajya Sabha passed 21 Bills, mostly sans discussion, in the session originally scheduled to end on August 13.