Amidst the row between the Centre and the Congress over Rahul Gandhi’s London remarks where Gandhi claimed Democracy to be under attack in India, Union Petrol Minister Hardeep Singh Puri added another jibe at the Congress leader.

Puri in a press conference on Monday countered the Congress leader’s claims by raking up the curb of civil liberties in Indira Gandhi’s era. The Union Minister in his statement at the press conference also demanded an apology from Wayanad MP.

Union Minister in his statement said that a person has the freedom to speak when he goes out of the country, however, he further added and said that along with the freedom comes a great sense of responsibility. He further highlighted that India is the world’s oldest democracy, but the Congress leader says Indian democracy is facing an attack on the basic structure.

The Union Minister, in the press conference, also questioned if Rahul Gandhi remembers that Indira Gandhi invoked article 356 over 150 times to deny a legitimately elected government.

Read Also: Mamata Banerjee struck deal with PM Modi to defame Rahul Gandhi: Congress

The row over Rahul Gandhi’s remark on democracy in London continued in the Parliament on Monday as well. As per the reports, pandemonium unraveled in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha as the Centre raised issues of Rahul Gandhi’s speech and demanded apology, whereas, the Opposition parties demanded JPC into the Adani stocks case. Following the bedlam, the houses were adjourned till 2 PM.

A similar predicament was followed previously on Friday where the Centre and the Opposition raised issues according to their concerns. The leaders and ministers of the rulling BJP has been time and time again demanding apology from Rahul Gandhi for his statements about Indian democracy being under attack.

Most recently the 8 Opposition parties also wrote to PM Modi alleging the Centre of using central agencies to crack down on Opposition parties. The letter by the Opposition parties did not include signatories from Congress.

Mamata Banerjee struck deal with PM Modi to defame Rahul Gandhi: Congress

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The Congress on Monday claimed that West Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee want to save herself from raids by probe agencies and has thus struck a deal with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to “defame” Rahul Gandhi and the grand-old party.

In a statement to news agency ANI, Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury claimed that Mamata Banerjee was speaking on the directions of PM Modi as ‘didi’ and PM have made a deal “to defame the image of Rahul Gandhi and Congress.”

Chowdhury claimed that Banerjee wants to “save herself from ED-CBI raids” and is thus speaking against the Congress and Rahul Gandhi to make the Prime Minister happy.

The Congress leader was reacting to the West Bengal CM’s recent comments on Rahul Gandhi wherein she alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was portraying the Congress scion as a hero in their bid to divert attention from burning issues.

Read Also: Delhi liquor policy: Telangana CM’s daughter K Kavitha appears before ED for second round of questioning

Addressing her Trinamool Congress (TMC) party workers during an internal meeting in the West Bengal’s Murshidabad district on Sunday, Banerjee accused the ruling BJP’s efforts to stall parliament proceedings in their demand for an apology from Rahul Gandhi, as an attempt to “make a hero” out of the Wayanad MP so that no one questions PM Modi.

Banerjee alleged that the BJP was trying to shift focus from current issues by stalling proceedings over Rahul Gandhi democracy remarks in the UK.

The second leg of the budget session—which began amid turmoil last week— has been marred by logjams as neither the ruling BJP, nor the Congress-led Opposition, are budging from their respective demands.

While the BJP are demanding an apology from Rahul Gandhi over his comments on the Indian democracy during a recent speech in London, the Opposition has intensified its push for a demand asking for a Joint Parliamentary Probe (JPC) into the Adani-Hindenburg report.

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Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s daughter and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K Kavitha appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday in New Delhi for the second round of questioning in the Delhi excise policy scam.

The ED questioned the BRS leader for the first time on March 11 for almost nine hours in connection with a money laundering case. Kavitha’s statements were recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

KCR’s daughter received a second summons on March 16, but she chose not to appear and instead sent Soma Bharath, a BRS party office bearer, to the ED office. Soma Bharath handed the investigating officer a six-page explanation against her deposition as well as her bank statement, personal details, and business information.

Kavitha also sent a letter to the ED stating that it must wait until the Supreme Court hears her case challenging the summons and requesting protection from arrest.

The federal probe agency confronted K Kavitha with the statements made by Hyderabad-based businessman Arun Ramchandran Pillai, an arrested accused in the case who allegedly shares close ties with her, apart from those of a few others involved in the case.

As per the investigation carried out so far, the ED in a statement said that Vijay Nair, on behalf of leaders of AAP has received kickbacks to the tune of at least Rs 100 crore from a group, called South Group (controlled by Sarath Reddy, K Kavitha, Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy).

The ED has so far arrested 12 people in the case, including former Delhi deputy chief minister and AAP leader Manish Sisodia. The senior AAP leader appeared before the ED on March 17, however, his custody has been extended by 5 days and will appear before the court on March 22.