New Delhi: Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on Monday accused the Congress of stalling parliamentary proceedings as the party "seems to have lost faith in democracy".
Speaking to the media after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj made a brief statement in Rajya Sabha on the Lait Modi issue, Gadkari said only the Congress wants to disrupt the house.
"It's the Congress and no other opposition parties which disrupts the house. Other (parties) want debate on the issues but it (Congress) does not," he said, adding that it was "unfortunate".
The minister also expressed regret over Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi calling the external affairs minister a "criminal".
"Once a person is convicted then the only he or she is called criminal," he said. "In this case, there is nothing of that sort."
The first two weeks of the monsoon session of parliament have washed out amid opposition protests over some issues, including Sushma Swaraj's alleged help to former IPL chief Lalit Modi and the Vyapam scam in the BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh.
