Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi engaged in a verbal exchange with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday, questioning why the Speaker bowed down to Prime Minister Narendra Modi but stood upright when shaking his own hand.
"I noticed something when you (Speaker Om Birla) shook my hand. When you shook my hand, you were standing upright. But when you shook Modiji's hand, you bowed down to him," Gandhi remarked.
This statement was met with cheers from the Opposition faction, while NDA MPs objected. Home Minister Amit Shah stood up, asserting that Gandhi's remark was an allegation against the chair.
In response, Speaker Om Birla explained, "Honourable Prime Minister is the leader of the House, and it is in my culture and morals that I bow down when I meet my elders and treat as equal those who are my age. My morals are that we bow down to the elders and even touch their feet if need be."
However, Gandhi persisted, acknowledging the Speaker's views but emphasizing, "There is no one bigger than the Speaker in the House. The Speaker is above all in the House, and we should all bow down before him/her."
He continued, stating that he, along with the entire Opposition, bowed down to the Speaker. "You are the Speaker, and you should not bow down before anyone," Gandhi asserted.
Gandhi concluded by highlighting the Speaker's supreme authority in the Lok Sabha, underscoring that as members of the House, they are subservient to him.
