NEW DELHI: Over 200 retired armed forces officers, former civil servants, diplomats and lawyers Tuesday accused leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi of violating parliamentary decorum during the opposition’s protest and demanded his apology.“Rahul Gandhi, along with several MPs, was seen sitting on the steps of Parliament having tea and biscuits in a manner that was wholly unbecoming of members of the nation’s highest legislative body. The steps of Parliament are not a venue for spectacle or political theatre,” they said in an open letter endorsed by 204 signatories.They alleged that Rahul’s action within the Parliament complex amounted to a deliberate defiance of the chair and showed disregard for parliamentary authority. “It shows an attitude of arrogance and entitlement,” they added.They said Speaker Om Birla had issued an explicit instruction against demonstrations or protests within Parliament premises but the opposition, led by Rahul, disregarded the directive.“Rahul must apologise to the nation for this behaviour and introspect the attitude that produced it, so that the solemnity, authority and institutional sanctity of the Parliament remain preserved,” they said.
