The Congress on Monday alleged that a reported communication from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) had directed the Lok Sabha Secretariat not to admit questions related to the PM CARES Fund, the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) and the National Defence Fund (NDF).According to the reported communication dated January 30, the Lok Sabha Secretariat was asked to ensure that matters and parliamentary questions concerning the three funds were not admitted under the rules governing the conduct of business in the House.The development triggered strong reactions from the Opposition leaders, who said the move effectively prevented Members of Parliament from seeking accountability on the utilisation and oversight of funds and thousands of crores of rupees collected in public contributions.Calling the directive “deeply concerning”, Congress general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal said the Lok Sabha must function independently so that the government remained accountable to elected representatives. He also demanded that the PM respond to the issue on the floor of the House and face parliamentary scrutiny regarding the funds collected under the PM CARES mechanism.The party asked why elected representatives should be prevented from seeking details related to the functioning, utilisation and auditing of the funds, and questioned what the government was trying to hide by restricting parliamentary scrutiny.Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera also criticised the development, saying blocking questions relating to the funds reflected a decline in transparency and democratic functioning.“Parliamentary oversight is essential when public contributions and national funds are involved. Preventing debate or questioning weakens institutional accountability,” he added.