Sense of fear inside, outside Parliament: Opposition V-P pick Margaret Alva

Opposition candidate for Vice President election Margaret Alva said there is a sense of fear inside and outside Parliament.

There is a sense of fear inside and outside the Parliament and people are not allowed to speak or write what they want, Opposition candidate for Vice President election Margaret Alva said on Tuesday.

In an exclusive interview with India Today, the former Union Minister said, "I certainly feel there is a sense of fear inside and outside the Parliament. People are not allowed to speak. People are in jail because of what they have spoken or written."

"People who speak on public platforms are charged with sedition and UAPA. Police go from one state to another and pick up people. What is the type of democracy we are living in?" she said, hitting out at the BJP-ruled government.

"Is an emergency declared today and then people are picked up? You are all warned, picked up," she said.

She hit out at the BJP and said, "I have been in the house of Parliament for 30 years. I have raised issues and debates. You can defer with the government. But does that mean you can silence the opposition? Throw them out? Suspend them?"

The former Union Minister said she is fighting the V-P poll as it is the duty of the Vice President as the Chairman of Rajya Sabha needs to restore the supremacy of Parliament.

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