Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition, urged Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to lift the media restrictions in Parliament. In the Lok Sabha, Gandhi asked Birla to allow journalists, who are currently allowed till a restricted area, to move more freely.

Previously, media personnel were able to record MPs’ comments near the Parliament building’s entry and exit points. However, they are now confined to a designated enclosure.

In response, Mr. Birla pointed out that such matters should be discussed privately rather than on the floor of the House. Following this, Rahul Gandhi and other opposition figures, including Trinamool Congress’s Derek O’Brien, Congress MP Karti Chidambaram, and Shiv Sena-UBT MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, visited the media enclosure to speak with journalists.

Mr. O’Brien criticized the restrictions, calling them “censorship” and “completely unacceptable,” and expressed solidarity with the media.

Subsequently, the Lok Sabha Speaker met with a group of journalists, promising to address their concerns and improve facilities to support their work.