Hecklers, lowlives: Mahua Moitra on NDA MPs who disrupted Rahul Gandhi's speech

Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on NDA members in the Lok Sabha, calling them "lowlives", "hecklers" and "hustlers" and alleging that they did not allow Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi to speak during a heated debate on the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026.She also warned that the government, which she said had already suffered one setback in the form of recent student protests and the eventual resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan as Education Minister, would face "more blows" if it continued to ignore public concerns.Speaking to reporters outside Parliament after the adjournment, Moitra defended the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, and accused the ruling alliance of stifling dissent."He is the Leader of Opposition. He is making a speech and these hecklers, hustlers and absolute lowlives from the other side screaming, shouting and the Speaker is oblivious to it," she said. On the government’s response to the Opposition, Moitra said, "It is typical. I don't think it surprised too much. The government’s only idea is that it did not let the children speak on the ground, then you saw what happened"."It doesn’t let the opposition speak, it doesn’t let the people of India speak, it doesn’t want to listen". She added that the ruling side had already experienced one political jolt and more could follow."It has had its first lesson, it has had the first blow. And let us see. They will suffer more blows in the near future. There will come a point where they are forced to listen," Moitra asserted.RAHUL'S REMARKS SPARK UPROARThe confrontation erupted during Rahul Gandhi’s speech on amendments to the anti-paper leak law.Claiming he spoke to a student during the protests, the Congress MP contrasted students with people who, he said, believed they knew everything and refused to listen to others.His remarks, loaded with terms such as "idiots" and "andhbhakts", triggered loud protests from Treasury benches, who demanded that the allegedly unparliamentary expression be removed from the record.Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju objected strongly, saying Gandhi was himself using the word and could not attribute it to a student. The Speaker later ordered the expression to be expunged.The House witnessed further uproar when Gandhi accused Union Home Minister Amit Shah of authorising police action against students during recent protests over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination.BJP and NDA members demanded proof and accused Rahul Gandhi of making baseless allegations, leading to repeated disruptions and sloganeering.ANTI-PAPER LEAK BILL PASSED IN LOK SABHADespite the noisy scenes, the Lok Sabha later passed the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026 by voice vote.The Bill proposes stricter punishment for paper leak offences, including imprisonment of up to 10 years and hefty financial penalties, and now awaits consideration in the Rajya Sabha.The day’s proceedings ended with the Opposition accusing the government of suppressing debate, while the Treasury benches maintained that serious allegations against ministers must be backed by evidence.- EndsPublished On: Jul 29, 2026 17:38 IST