Rajya Sabha experienced a heated exchange when Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition, requested Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan to reinstate his expunged comments criticizing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s policies. The controversy stemmed from Kharge’s speech on February 4 during the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address. Kharge urged the Chair to restore his remarks before Question Hour began.
Chairman Radhakrishnan promised to review the matter raised by Kharge. Kharge emphasized that his original comments, removed from the records, highlighted the opposition’s broader concerns about the government’s policies. Such expungements are a common practice in Rajya Sabha to uphold decorum but often lead to accusations of stifling dissent.
Kharge, with a political career spanning five decades, emphasized that he had never made any unparliamentary remarks or targeted individuals personally. He warned that if his request was not honored, he would take his grievances to the public. However, the Chair firmly rejected his plea, stating that expunged remarks cannot be reinstated once removed.
Chairman Radhakrishnan criticized Kharge’s demand as undemocratic and improper, asserting that it was akin to instructing the Chair. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman intervened, defending the Chair’s authority to expunge words deemed inappropriate during debates. Sitharaman accused the Leader of Opposition of disrespecting the Chair by challenging the decision-making process directly.
