Reference to Emergency 'clearly political, Rahul tells Speaker Om Birla

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, along with other leaders from the INDIA bloc, met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Thursday, and voiced his displeasure over the reference to the Emergency made by him in the House.

- SIMONTINI BHATTACHARJEE

• 'COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED'

Rahul Gandhi said it was “clearly political” and the matter could have been avoided, Congress general secretary K C Venugopal told mediapersons after the meeting. He said the INDIA bloc leaders conveyed their stance that bringing up the resolution on the Emergency was ‘unnecessary’ and could be seen as a ‘diversion’ from more pressing contemporary issues.

Apart from Rahul Gandhi, the meeting was attended by Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav, RJD MP Misa Bharti and NCP (Sharad Pawar) faction leader Supriya Sule.

“The resolution on the Emergency, which happened nearly five decades ago, does not address the immediate concerns of the nation. Our focus should be on the country’s current issues, such as inflation, unemployment, and governance,” Venugopal stated. Rahul Gandhi echoed similar sentiments, highlighting that the Opposition’s priority is to address the problems affecting the common people today. “While we acknowledge the significance of historical events, the present challenges demand our full attention and action,” Gandhi said.