Congress leader and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, accusing him of repeatedly denying him the opportunity to speak in Parliament. The confrontation escalated as Gandhi alleged the House was being run in an “undemocratic manner,” with opposition voices being systematically suppressed.

Speaking to reporters outside Parliament, Gandhi claimed: “I requested him (the Speaker) to let me speak, but he just ran away and did not let me speak. This is no way to run the House.” The Congress MP revealed he had sought to raise critical issues, including preparations for the Maha Kumbh Mela and India’s worsening unemployment crisis, but was consistently blocked.

The clash occurred after Speaker Birla reminded members to adhere to parliamentary decorum, specifically referencing Rule 349 governing member conduct. Without naming Gandhi directly, Birla stated: “Several instances have come to my notice where the conduct of members does not conform to the high standards… Especially, it is expected of the Leader of the Opposition to conduct himself as per the rules.”

The confrontation prompted about 70 Congress MPs, including senior leaders Gaurav Gogoi, KC Venugopal and Manickam Tagore, to meet the Speaker and protest what they called the “denial” of Gandhi’s right to speak. Party sources indicated this was part of a pattern of obstruction, with Gandhi allegedly being prevented from speaking for the entire previous week.

Gandhi’s explosive allegation that “there is no place for democracy here” underscores the worsening relations between the Treasury benches and the Opposition. The Congress leader’s claim that he was “quietly sitting” yet prevented from speaking whenever he stood up suggests a breakdown in normal parliamentary functioning.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday conducted searches at the residences of Congress General Secretary and former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel in Raipur and Bhilai as part of its probe into the Mahadev betting app scam. The raids come just days after Enforcement Directorate (ED) action in a separate case.

According to officials, the CBI arrived at Baghel’s residences before he was scheduled to attend a Congress drafting committee meeting in Delhi. The meeting is in preparation for the upcoming AICC session in Ahmedabad on April 8 and 9.

The investigation pertains to the Mahadev online betting app case, in which over 70 FIRs have reportedly been filed across multiple police stations in Madhya Pradesh, following the state government’s clearance for a CBI probe last year.

Congress slams BJP, alleges misuse of central agencies

Reacting to the CBI action, the Chhattisgarh Congress accused the ruling BJP of political vendetta. Sushil Anand Shukla, head of the party’s state communication wing, alleged that central agencies are being used to intimidate opposition leaders.

“Ever since Bhupesh Baghel took charge of Punjab as party in-charge, BJP has become uneasy. First the ED, now the CBI. This is BJP’s way of silencing political opponents when it cannot counter them democratically,” said Shukla.

The Congress maintained that neither the party nor its senior leaders were “scared” by such moves, and described the action as part of BJP’s “oppressive” political strategy.

Mahadev betting and liquor scam cases

The CBI action follows an ED crackdown just weeks earlier. On March 10, the agency conducted raids at 14 locations in Chhattisgarh’s durg district, including the residence Bhupesh and his son, Chaitanya Baghel, in connection with a liquor scam case.

Following these raids, Baghel had publicly disclosed that Rs 33 lakh in cash was found at his residence, which he said was his personal income from farming, dairy, and family savings.

As per the ED, it has so far seized, attached, or frozen assets worth Rs 2,295 crore linked to the Mahadev app case. In the liquor scam, the agency claimed that illegal proceeds worth Rs 2,100 crore were generated, causing significant financial loss to the Chhattisgarh exchequer.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed the Punjab government to submit a detailed reply by March 28, 2025, over the delay in registering a First Information Report (FIR) in the case involving Colonel Pushpinder Singh Bath, who has alleged assaulted by Punjab Police personnel in Patiala.

Colonel Bath, a senior Army officer serving in a sensitive post under the Cabinet Secretariat, filed a petition demanding that the investigation be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or an independent agency, citing a lack of impartiality and delay by the Punjab Police.

Court seeks answers on police inaction

A bench led by Justice Sandeep Moudgil sought explanations from the Punjab government on several fronts:

The name of the officer who was initially informed by Colonel Bath and reasons for the refusal to take immediate action.

Justification for the eight-day delay in lodging an FIR, despite a medico-legal report and a detailed statement dated March 14, 2025, being available.

Clarification on why an FIR filed on March 15, based on a dhaba owner’s complaint, was registered against the colonel and his son, while the actual incident was ignored.

The court noted that such delays and attempts to shield police officers could severely damage public trust in law enforcement. It remarked, “Such lapses, if substantiated, do erase the faith of citizens in the law-enforcing agency.”

Colonel Bath’s allegations

According to his plea, Colonel Bath and his son were allegedly attacked by 12 Punjab Police personnel, including four inspector-rank officers, over a parking dispute in Patiala on the night of March 13–14, 2025. He claimed that they were assaulted without provocation and his official ID card and mobile phone were seized.

Then he was also threatened with a fake encounter. However, the incident occurred in public view and under CCTV surveillance. The colonel also expressed concerns over the risk of national security breaches due to sensitive information stored on his mobile device.

A fresh FIR was registered based on Colonel Bath’s statement a week after the incident. In this case, all 12 accused police personnel have been suspended, and departmental proceedings are underway. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) is currently probing the case. Colonel Bath’s petition stressed that a fair investigation was not possible under the current setup due to conflict of interest, delays, and manipulation, requesting that the probe be handed over to a neutral body.