NEW DELHI: Rahul Gandhi, the head of the Congress, has asked Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla for permission to address the House in order to clarify his "Democracy" remark from London. In a letter written to the Speaker on Saturday, March 18, he said Parliament like any other institution is bound by the laws of natural justice contained in Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution.

"They serve as a safeguard against administrative arbitrary decision-making and guarantee that everyone has the opportunity to be heard in a matter that concerns them. You must agree that Parliament, of all institutions, cannot shirk its duty to uphold this right when doing so would be against the interests of the current administration." read the letter.

He also mentioned the instance of Ravi Shankar Prasad, who used the rule to explain certain remarks Jyotiraditya Scindia made about him in Parliament.

The right to respond to statements made in Parliament as well as to accusations made in the public domain, he added, is demonstrated by a number of examples that are available on the Lok Sabha Digital Library.

As a member of the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi has insisted on speaking there. The BJP has demanded an apology from him, but Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge remarked in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday that it is not necessary.

The debate over Mr. Gandhi's remarks has caused a political impasse in the Parliament for seven days in a row. The BJP has demanded an apology, but the opposition has dismissed it as an attempt to deflect attention from their call for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to look into the Adani-Hindenurg issue.

Gandhi stated that India's democracy is under attack and that critics are being muzzled at Cambridge University. "The institutional structure needed for democracy is being restricted, including the free press, the courts, and even the idea of mobilisation and movement. Thus, we are dealing with an attack on the fundamentals of Indian democracy "He had said.

Sambit Patra attacks Rahul Gandhi over UK speech, What’s said?

Bharat Jodo Yatra was a symbol of India's unity: Siddaramaiah

From Rahul Gandhi to Arvind Kejriwal, these leaders attended Swara-Fahad's reception