‘Surveillance’ row erupts in House

Congress Members of Parliament on Monday objected to a person sitting in the officials’ gallery in the Lok Sabha and taking notes during a debate and alleged he was carrying out ‘surveillance’ on members of the Opposition.

“It is surveillance. Who is he? Why is he taking notes? He is counting the number of MPs,” Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge alleged during the question hour.

Other opposition MPs, too, joined Kharge and there was a brief ruckus in the house.

Junior minister for parliamentary affairs, Arjun Ram Meghwal, said the man was an officer who belonged to his ministry and was just doing his duty.

Union human resource development (HRD) minister Prakash Javadekar added that Lok Sabha proceedings were telecast live and everyone could see what was happening in the House.

“People even now can see who is winking in the House,” Javadekar said in an apparent dig at Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who stoked a controversy by hugging Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the no-confidence debate on Friday.

Rahul Gandhi was seen winking at fellow MPs when he returned to his seat after hugging Modi. The explanation from javadekar, however, did not satisfy the Opposition MPs who shouted that they were being snooped on.

Normalcy, however, was restored after Speaker Sumitra Mahajan assured the MPs that she would look into the matter later. “I will see to it,” she said.

JUNIOR MINISTER FOR PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS, ARJUN RAM MEGHWAL, SAID THE MAN WAS AN OFFICER FROM HIS MINISTRY