Scheduled to make his maiden speech in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, master blaster Sachin Tendulkar failed to open his account as the Congress disrupted the proceedings continuing with its protests and demand seeking Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s apology for his remarks against his predecessor Manmohan Singh during the Gujarat elections. Tendulkar could not initiate a short-duration discussion on the right to play and the future of sports in India.
The Government said the Congress has lost its “direction and plot” as it disrupted the cricketing icon from speaking on the non-political issue of sports.
As Tendulkar remained standing, Opposition members raised slogans, ignoring Chairman Venkaiah Naidu's requests to let him speak. Naidu even said the nation was watching the uproar the Opposition was causing in the Rajya Sabha.
“We're discussing about sports and you don't have the sporting spirit,” Naidu scolded, before ordering the live telecast of House proceedings to be cut off.
later, talking to reporters Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar said, “The Congress today behaved in an undemocratic manner in the Upper House by disrupting Bharat Ratna Sachin Tendulkar from speaking on the important and non-political issue of sports and its development in the country.”
“Despite repeated requests from the Chairman of the House that he (Tendulkar) should be allowed to speak on this important and public interest issue, the Congress did not allow him to speak,” Kumar said.
“After disrupting the lok Sabha for several days, today they are participating in the discussion on supplementary demand for the grants. But in the Rajya Sabha, they are continuing to disrupt the proceedings,” Kumar said, adding the party was “totally confused”.