NEW DELHI: Saying that it may be his last Parliamentary session, former PM H D Deve Gowda on Monday asked Sonia Gandhi to intervene to stop Congress MPs, especially the leader of opposition, to provoke further disruptions as it is likely to harm the foundations of democracy and leave indelible bitterness. In a letter, Deve Gowda (92), whose Rajya Sabha term is set to end in June, invoked Sonia’s wealth of experience and her conduct in opposition with “grace and maturity” to urge her to ask Congress MPs to dial down their “too many disruptions inside Parliament and on its premise”. Gowda said that Congress MPs, led by the leader of opposition, have provoked far too many disruptions.
Their dharnas and blockades outside the Parliament are unprecedented, he said, adding that the legislature in recent times has witnessed an excess of slogan-shouting, display of placards and name-calling. While Rahul Gandhi is the leader of opposition in Lok Sabha, which has witnessed frequent protests, Mallikarjun Kharge holds the position in Rajya Sabha. In a swipe at Rahul who was spotted joining his protesting colleagues at the entrance of Parliament, he said the opposition used to protest with a restraint and did not block the entrance to the Parliament, making their gathering look like a tea-shop assembly. He said, “You can perhaps ask them not to harm themselves, their cause and their political futures in the long run. I believe that the opposition must protest as much as it wants but that protest has to be framed in a way that does not dismantle what we have built together in over 75 glorious years.”
