'Not right to question Chair outside House': LS Speaker Om Birla pulls up Rahul Gandhi

The Lok Sabha Speaker on Tuesday slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, a day after the latter said he was not allowed to ask supplementary questions in Lok Sabha. Om Birla said it was not right to raise questions on decisions of the Chair outside the House.

According to PTI, Birla's remarks came after the House took up a question related to cold storage for fish, where many supplementary questions were asked. It took around 20 minutes before the Speaker moved to the next question. Birla has always been emphasising in the House that questions, as well as answers, should be kept short so that more issues can be taken up during the Question Hour.

Speaker said it is not right to question Chair outside House

On Tuesday, some members, including from the Congress, wanted to ask supplementary questions. "If one question takes around 15-20 minutes... and then saying supplementary questions are not being allowed after 12 (noon) is not good," Birla said. He also said that raising questions against the decision of the Chair outside the House is not right.

On Monday, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi said his right as an MP to ask a supplementary question in Lok Sabha was taken away as Speaker Om Birla did not allow him to ask one. He said he was hurt by the action as it was the duty of the Speaker to protect his right to speak and ask a supplementary question.

'This takes away my right as MP'

Gandhi was asking the government to name wilful bank loan defaulters but was not allowed another supplementary question amid uproar in the Lower House. "I was not allowed to ask supplementary question in Lok Sabha, this takes away my right as MP," Gandhi told reporters outside Parliament.

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"This is taking away my right as a member of Parliament and it is not fair. This is completely unfair," he said. "I was hurt that my Parliamentary right to ask a supplementary question was not given. The Speaker did not allow me to ask a supplementary question. I got hurt as this was my right as an MP to ask a supplementary question," the Congress leader said.

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(With agency inputs)