Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla cautions Congress MP against questioning his impartiality

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Thursday cautioned a Congress member against questioning the Chair's impartiality. The incident happened during the Zero Hour after Ravneet Singh Bittu, a Congress MP from Punjab, raised the issue of the Union government's decision to withdraw SPG security cover given to the Gandhi family and was cut short by the Speaker midway. Members are meant to speak briefly during the Zero Hour.

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Om Birla pointed out that the issue has been raised several times earlier as well, as he asked another member to raise his matter. "You have also joined hands with them," Bittu told the Speaker while pointing to BJP members. Birla then stopped the member, who had stood up to speak, and cautioned the Congress member against questioning the Chair in such a manner. "Don't speak in such a manner about the Chair. You will get another chance to speak," the Speaker said.

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Bittu cited the assassinations of the then prime minister Indira Gandhi and later her son and former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi by terrorists to highlight the threat to Sonia Gandhi, who is Congress president, her MP son Rahul Gandhi and daughter Priyanka Gandhi. The Home Ministry had recently withdrawn the SPG cover to them and replaced it with Z+ security.

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