Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday raised objections over the expunction of large portions of his speech delivered during the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address, demanding that the deleted remarks be restored to the official record.
Raising the issue shortly after Zero Hour, Kharge urged Rajya Sabha Chairman C. P. Radhakrishnan to reconsider the decision, warning that he would otherwise make the deleted portions public.
The Chairman rejected the request, stating that decisions taken by the Chair cannot be questioned and that expunged remarks cannot be released outside once removed from the official proceedings.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also intervened, saying it was inappropriate for the Leader of the Opposition to challenge the Chair’s ruling.
Kharge referred to his February 4 speech during the Motion of Thanks debate, stating that several substantive points he had made , covering social justice and parliamentary functioning were removed from the official transcript uploaded on the Rajya Sabha website.
“I made several important points supported by facts,” he said, adding that the deleted portions mainly contained criticism of government policies and observations on parliamentary proceedings during the current government’s tenure.
He argued that such criticism was part of his constitutional responsibility as Leader of the Opposition and did not violate parliamentary rules or decorum.
Citing his five-decade-long parliamentary career, Kharge said he had always been mindful of parliamentary traditions and the dignity of the House. He maintained that Rule 261 of the Rules of Procedure applies only under specific circumstances and that his remarks were neither defamatory nor unparliamentary.
Kharge further contended that the deletions raised concerns regarding the freedom of speech guaranteed to Members of Parliament under Article 105(1) of the Constitution.
“I request you to reconsider and reinstate the deleted portions,” he said, adding that if justice was not done, he would be compelled to share the unrecorded version with the public as part of his constitutional duty.
Initially responding that he would “look into it,” the Chairman later firmly rejected Kharge’s suggestion of releasing the expunged remarks publicly.
“You are an elderly member. How can you say that? Whatever has been expunged cannot be stated outside,” he said, adding that questioning the Chair’s decision was not permissible.
When Kharge asserted that deleting his criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi could be interpreted as protecting the Prime Minister, the Chairman disagreed, saying such allegations were incorrect and amounted to instructing the Chair.
Intervening in the exchange, Sitharaman cited Rule 261, which empowers the Chairman to expunge words deemed defamatory, indecent, unparliamentary, or undignified at his discretion.
She said the Leader of the Opposition could not override the Chair’s judgment based on his personal assessment of the remarks.
“To question the decision and suggest that it was meant to protect the Prime Minister is not appropriate for the position of the Leader of the Opposition. The Chair deserves respect,” she said.
As the Chairman moved to proceed with Question Hour, Congress members continued protesting. However, Kharge was not permitted to speak further, with the Chair reiterating that members cannot question the authority of the Chair.
(With inputs from PTI)