Author: Mohua Chatterjee
Publication: The Times of India
Date: August 28, 2011
URL: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Rahul-goes-missing-on-historic-day/articleshow/9762325.cms
Where was Rahul Gandhi on a day Lok Sabha
witnessed a "historical" Lokpal debate as almost the entire House
put it. The star Congress MP and party general secretary was conspicuous by
his absence in Lok Sabha on Saturday, when the House under pressure from a
fasting Anna Hazare debated the Lokpal bill.
This, just a day after he broke his silence
on the Lokpal issue by making a speech during zero hour -- something for which
Speaker Meira Kumar was attacked.
However, while the Amethi MP may have chosen
to skip what was termed a "historic" day, he did not escape opposition's
attention. Opening the debate on Lokpal, leader of opposition Sushma Swaraj
raised the issue of Rahul's "out-of-turn" speech on Lokpal on Friday
without a notice to the Speaker, calling it his "sermon to the nation".
He was not spotted in Parliament since Friday
morning, after he spoke for 15 minutes during zero hour when no member is
allowed to raise an issue for more than three to five minutes. "Was Rahul
Gandhi's speech a zero hour intervention or an address to the nation,"
asked Swaraj.
She insisted that Rahul's remarks were the
line of the Congress party which "poured cold water on the statesmanship
displayed by the prime minister on the floor of the House" a couple of
days back in a bid to end the impasse.
Amid objections and protests from Congress
members, Swaraj also took a dig at Speaker Meira Kumar for allowing Rahul
to speak for so long while other members were restricted to just three to
five minutes during zero hour.
