March 26, 2025: Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the opposition, alleged that he wasn’t allowed to speak in the Lok Sabha, claiming that speaker Om Birla just ran away when he tried to raise the issue of unemployment. Gandhi expressed his frustration, stating that there is a convention that the Leader of the Opposition is allowed to speak, but he was denied this opportunity.

Gandhi accused speaker Om Birla of running the house proceedings in an “undemocratic manner” and claimed that his repeated requests to raise key issues were ignored. He stated that he hasn’t been allowed to speak in the last 7-8 days, and that there is no place for Opposition in the House. Gandhi also mentioned that the Prime Minister spoke about Kumbh Mela, but he wasn’t allowed to talk about unemployment.

During the proceedings, Speaker Birla asked Gandhi to follow the rules to uphold the dignity of the house. Birla reminded Gandhi that as the Leader of the Opposition, he is expected to conduct himself in accordance with Rule 349, which deals with rules to be observed by members.

After the incident,70 Congress MPs, including Gaurav Gogoi and KC Venugopal, met with Speaker Birla to express their anguish at Gandhi not being allowed to speak in the house. This is not the first time Gandhi has alleged that he was silenced in the Lok Sabha. Last year, he claimed that his microphone was turned off when he raised the NEET paper leak issue.