Hope no Muslim MP is called terrorist or bills rushed: NC MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi in Lok Sabha
PTI NEWS MONITORING DESK
New Delhi, June 26: Newly-elected MP from Srinagar, Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, today urged Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to ensure the sanctity of the House by restraining members from making disparaging remarks like dubbing a Muslim parliamentarian a “terrorist” or rushing legislations like the abrogation of Article 370.
“I would request you that from today you are neither BJP nor Congress or Samajwadi, and you have only one party, and that is the Constitution of India,” said the the National Conference member in his address soon after Birla was elected Speaker
He expressed hope that the Speaker would uphold the Constitution and lead the house as a beacon of democracy.
Mehdi cryptically alluded to the Speaker’s legacy, stating that his actions in handling both the government and opposition voices would define his tenure.
“This House would remember you for your actions whether you forced treasury benches to listen to the opposition or you silenced the opposition,” he said.
Mehdi highlighted the importance of respecting elected representatives and cited a past incident where a member termed a fellow MP, who was Muslim, as “terrorist”.
“You will be remembered how you silenced the voices in the House that called an elected Muslim MP a terrorist or did you allow those voices.
“If an elected MP is called a terrorist in this House, then I wonder what would be happening to other Muslims in the country,” Mehdi said after which Birla interrupted.
Mehdi stressed the significance of preventing instances where elected representatives are disparaged in the House, expressing concerns about the treatment of Muslims across the country if such behaviour goes unchecked.
He was referring to the incident during a special session last September where former BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri called former BSP’s Danish Ali a ‘Muslim terrorist’.
Mehdi also underscored the need for thorough discussions on critical bills, referring to the passage of the Article 370 bill.
Birla responded by informing the House about the extensive debate that preceded the bill’s passage, countering Mehdi’s assertion of a rushed legislative process.
(Inputs PTI)
