New Delhi: Leader of the Opposition and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Monday accused the government of deliberately silencing the Opposition after he was once again denied the opportunity to speak in the Lok Sabha, forcing the House to be adjourned shortly after it reconvened.

Speaking to reporters outside Parliament, Rahul Gandhi said the standoff began a few days ago over the issue of former Army chief General Manoj Naravane’s book, which he claimed the government did not want discussed.

“First, they said that I cannot quote a book. Then I said I'm not quoting a book, I'm quoting a magazine. Then they said you cannot quote a magazine. Then I said I'll speak about it. Then they didn't want me to speak about it. The Defence Minister said, falsely, that the book has not been published. In fact, the book has been published and we've got a copy of it also,” he said.

He also alleged double standards in parliamentary conduct, saying ruling party members were allowed to quote books and make controversial remarks, while the Opposition was denied a chance to speak. “The second issue is that one of their members spoke, quoting books, multiple books, spoke very vile stuff, and nothing was said. We don't like the fact that they can say whatever they want, whenever they want, and the opposition cannot,” he said.

Rahul Gandhi further raised concerns over the suspension of Opposition MPs and what he called a “disturbing narrative” that members were planning to threaten the Prime Minister.

“There's no question of that. The fact is very clear. The Prime Minister was scared to come to the House, not because of the members, but because of what I was saying. He's still scared because he cannot face the truth. There's no question of our members attacking the Prime Minister. He should have the courage to come. I also mentioned that if somebody said that he's going to attack the Prime Minister, then please do an FIR at once. Arrest that person. Why are you not doing that?” he asked.

Despite the confrontation, he said the Opposition remains willing to participate in debate if allowed to present its points. “The agreement is that we'll be allowed to say these points and then the discussion should happen. So we are quite keen that the discussion happens,” he said.

Rahul Gandhi also suggested that the government was reluctant to hold discussions on key issues, including the Budget and the recent US deal, particularly its impact on farmers.

“My guess is that the government is worried about having a debate on the budget because the issue of the US deal, the way it was done, what has happened, the impact on our farmers is going to be discussed, and the government doesn't want to do that,” he added.

The repeated adjournments have stalled parliamentary business, with the Opposition continuing to demand that the Leader of the Opposition be allowed to speak on the floor of the House.