It showcased, instead, a concerted — and disquieting — bid to silence the Leader of the Opposition. First, the Speaker and senior ministers prevented Rahul Gandhi from completing his reply to the motion of thanks on the President’s address. Dubey’s motion cannot be dismissed as that of an individual MP who has patented a provocative and polarising brand of politics. A substantive motion has been used in the past to suspend or disqualify MPs for criminal conduct, as in the aftermath of the “cash for votes” scandal in 2005. Rahul Gandhi’s criticism of the interim India-US trade deal, on the other hand, is a legitimate questioning of the government.

Source: Indian Express February 17, 2026 15:46 UTC