V-P: No nation has right to interfere in India’s matters
Asserting that no foreign country has the right to interfere in the internal matters of India, Rajya Sabha chairman Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday said Indian Parliament is a sovereign authority to discuss and decide on issues related to the country.
Responding to Shiv Sena MP Anil Desai’s mention in the Upper House of Parliament to the resolution in the European Parliament against the amended Citizenship Act, the chairman of the House said that no foreign country has the right to interfere in the internal matters of India and this message should be sent out loud and clear.
Raising the issue in the House during the Zero Hour, Mr Desai suggested that a resolution should be passed that India will not tolerate any interference from other countries in its internal matters.
“I want to make it very clear, as Chairman of the House and also as Vice President of the country, whatever issues are there, Indian Parliament is a sovereign authority to discuss and decide... Outside countries have no right to interfere in our internal affairs,” said Mr Naidu while adding that other countries should take care of their own respective matters.
Six political groups of members of European Parliament had moved a joint resolution against the Citizenship Amendment Act, calling it discriminatory. The European Parliament had, however, decided not to conduct a vote on the resolution during its new session beginning March 2.
Earlier, the House witnessed a brief exchange of words between members of treasury benches and Congress after BJP’s Bhupendra Yadav raised the issue of alleged involvement of an Aam Aadmi Party worker in the Shaheen Bagh firing incident.
Referring to the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections, Mr Yadav, without naming any political outfit or place, the BJP MP said the Delhi police has released certain pictures following its investigation in the firing incident. Some Congress members again objected, to which Mr Yadav said the gunman does not belong to the Congress party.
The Delhi police has said that Kapil Baisala, who opened fired at the Shaheen Bagh protest site last week is a member of the Aam Aadmi Party.
I want to make it very clear that Indian Parliament is a sovereign authority to discuss and decide on issues. Outside countries have no right to interfere. —M. Venkaiah Naidu, RS Chairman