The leaders of several Opposition parties took out a protest march on Thursday to highlight several issues that the government had refused to discuss in the Houses, including Pegasus, farmers issues and manhandling of their MPs in Rajya Sabha, with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi saying that the voice of 60 per cent of Indians is being humiliated and crushed.

After the leaders of several opposition parties, including Gandhi, NCP’s Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Raut and RJD’s Manoj Jha, met in the chamber of the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, they walked down to Vijay Chowk from Parliament.

The protesting MPs carried placards and banners against the government that read 'Stop murder of democracy' and 'we demand repeal of anti farmers laws'.

"The Parliament session is over. Frankly, as far as 60 percent of country is concerned, there was no Parliament session as the voice of 60 percent of people was crushed, humiliated," said Rahul Gandhi."On Wednesday, Rajya Sabha MPs were physically beaten. The Opposition was not allowed to speak inside Parliament. This is nothing but the murder of democracy," asserted Rahul Gandhi.The Wayanad MP said they were at Vijay Chowk because in Parliament they were not allowed to raise the Pegasus hacking issue, the three contentious farm laws and price rise.

Charging at the BJP tactics, Raut said their voices were curbed and marshals were brought in and they manhandled our women MPs in Rajya Sabha. “This is a form of Martial law. We will bring back democracy,” he underscored.

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MP Tiruchi Siva said the events of Wednesday prove that the government is diluting public sector companies with the intention of selling them. The employees are agitating against the government’s move. “35 Bills were passed without discussion. We wanted to send the General Insurance Bill to the Select Committee. We have come to the people to clear our stand. The Opposition is united. The Parliament is in peril, the governance is in peril. We have come to tell you that we are not responsible for the issues in Parliament. The ruling party is,” asserted Siva.

Parliament is insulated from media, pointed out Elamaram Kareem of Communist Party of India(Marxist). He said the Opposition was never allowed to raise any issue, while the ruling party behaved like ‘goondas’. The marshals also behaved like ‘goondas’ and misbehaved with women.

Nationalist Congress Party leader Praful Patel said his party leader Sharad Pawar was anguished about the incident in Rajya Sabha. He said the government should make an attempt to run the country and listen to the opinions of the Opposition.

“We are with the Opposition leaders. Like how BJP members treated women during UP Panchayat polls, they attacked women leaders in Parliament. The Opposition just wants to discuss issues. The country is not BJP’s, but all of ours. The government is behaving as if they want to sell everything to Ambani and Adani. This is an attack on our rights,” said Vishambhar Prasad Nishad, Samajwadi Party MP.

Quoting Ram Manohar Lohia, RJD’s Jha said when voices would be subdued in Parliament, voices will rise from the streets. “We have heard of marshal law in neighbouring countries, but we saw it in Parliament yesterday. The General Insurance Bill was passed using 'Marshal' law,” added Jha. He condemned the government taking a negative view of the Opposition demand.

CPI MP Binoy Viswam stressed that the government should know that the Opposition will not be on “our knees” and the country could not go forward this way. Parliament is not the only place of the struggle, the Opposition will hit the street, he added.

Placing the blame squarely at the government’s feet for the washout of the Parliamentary session, Revolutionary Socialist Party MP NK Premachandran said BJP did not believe in parliamentary democracy. They believe anything can be passed without listening to the Opposition.

The Opposition has come together, said VCK MP Thol. Thirumavalavan, to expose the fraudulent politics of the ruling party. “We raised only one demand - Pegasus. But it was the ruling party’s stubbornness to not take the issue. This was why Parliament couldn’t function properly.
Modi and shah are responsible for the current situation. People of India must know the truth,” underscored Thirumavalavan.