War Of Words Between Congress Rahul Gandhi, BJP Minister At Raebareli Meeting: 'If You Have Something To Say...'

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in Parliament and Lok Sabha MP from Raebareli was involved in a heated disagreement Dinesh Pratap Singh, a former Congress-turned-BJP leader from Uttar Pradesh, during a district review meeting.

The District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee (DISHA) meeting was held on September 11 at the Collectorate's Bachat Bhawan, with Gandhi as Chair. The agenda was to review key central schemes in the area.

A video of the exchange has gone viral on social media, where Rahul Gandhi can be heard telling the minister to address the Chair before asking questions of the present officials.

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In the video, Rahul Gandhi could be heard Singh that members must seek the chair's permission before speaking, stating,“I am the chair... If you have something to say, first ask and I will give you chance to speak.”

Singh in turn could be heard disagreeing with the procedure, saying that as a MP, he is allowed to ask questions about the discussed issues if he wanted without seeking permission.

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Speaking to PTI, Amethi MP and DISHA co-chairperson Kishori Lal Sharma, , who was at the meeting said that the disagrement happened after Singh began directly questioning officials.

“In DISHA meetings, members must seek the chair's permission before speaking. I reminded him of this procedure, just as all questions in the Lok Sabha are addressed through the Speaker,” Sharma told PTI.

“A minister should know parliamentary etiquette. The chief minister should take note of such conduct. What message does it send about cabinet discipline?” he questioned.

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Also speaking to PTI about the argument, Dinesh Pratap Singh said that as per guidelines, supervision of 43 programmes is his responsibility.

“In the DISHA meeting, the MP is the chair of the meeting of the constituency. As per the guidelines rural development department, implementation, supervising of 43 programmes is his responsibility,” he said.

Adding,“When Rahul Gandhi comes, he comes across as an owner, which was not acceptable to me. You will see myself supporting Rahul Gandhi when he does service to the people of Raebareli, but when he uses the platform to criticise the government, then I will be standing against him. I was expecting him to speak about DISHA meeting. Hence, I opposed...”

(With inputs from PTI)

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