Democracy has been murdered in Maharashtra, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said in Lok Sabha on Monday.

He made these remarks during Question Hour when Speaker Om Birla told him to ask a supplementary.

'There is no question of asking question (in Question Hour) today. Democracy has been murdered in Maharashtra,' he said.

Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad reacted to Rahul Gandhi's claims, saying that it is the Congress, not the BJP, which 'murdered' democracy in the state.

The BJP on Monday attacked the Congress for 'unruly' behaviour of its MPs in Lok Sabha and asked all parties to come together to maintain Parliament's sanctity and great tradition.

Speaking to reporters, Prasad hit out at the Opposition party soon after Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned due to protests by Congress members over the swearing in of a BJP government in Maharashtra.

Prasad also said that the popular mandate was in favour of a BJP-Shiv Sena government under Devendra Fadnavis but the Congress 'stole' it by joining hands with the Sena which, he added, is driven by political greed and opportunism.

Government formation in Maharashtra has come under the Supreme Court's scrutiny with the Centre being asked to produce before the court letters of the Governor inviting Fadnavis as well as the communication of the BJP leader staking his claim.

After Fadnavis returned as the chief minister on Saturday, the Shiv Sena claimed that the Sena-NCP-Congress combine has a support of 165 MLAs and can comfortably prove its majority in the Assembly.

The BJP has claimed that Fadnavis had the support of 170 MLAs. The majority mark in a House of 288 is 145.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Monday led a protest in Parliament premises against the BJP's move to form a government in Maharashtra along with the NCP.

Calling the midnight coup in which the BJP sought to form a government with Ajit Pawar a 'murder of democracy', Congress leaders like Anand Sharma and Adheer Choudhury raised slogans and held placards criticising the BJP.

The protest was held in Parliament premises.