‘Restricted to a cage’: Rahul Gandhi asks LS Speaker to end restrictions on media in Parliament

New Delhi: Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Monday requested Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to remove the restrictions imposed on the media within Parliament premises.

“Sir, I would request you to allow the media, who have been restricted to a cage, to move out,” Gandhi said in the Lok Sabha.

Media persons have been recording comments from members of Parliament on camera near the entry and exit points of the Parliament building but now they have been restricted to an enclosure made for them.

Birla reminded Gandhi about the rules of procedures of Parliament and said such issues should be discussed with him in person and not be raised on the floor of the House.

Gandhi and other opposition leaders such as Trinamool Congress leader Derek O’Brien, Congress MP Karti Chidambaram, and Shiv Sena-UBT MP Priyanka Chaturvedi met media persons in the media enclosure.

“This is censorship. This is completely unacceptable. We are with you in this fight,” O’Brien said.

Later, the Lok Sabha Speaker met a group of journalists and assured them that all their grievances would be addressed and better facilities would be provided to them to discharge their duties.