Kharge Threatens to Go Public After RS Chairman Rejects Speech Restoration Plea
Kharge demands restoration of expunged remarks from Rajya Sabha speech; Chairman rejects the request.
Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, on Friday raised objections over the expunction of several portions of his speech delivered during the Motion of Thanks debate on the President’s Address. Kharge demanded that the deleted remarks, which included criticism of government policies and observations on parliamentary functioning, be reinstated in the official record.
Kharge warned Rajya Sabha Chairman C. P. Radhakrishnan that he would make the expunged sections public if they were not restored. He cited his constitutional responsibility to raise substantive points related to social justice and parliamentary accountability, arguing that his remarks did not violate parliamentary decorum or rules.
Chairman Radhakrishnan rejected the request, emphasizing that decisions taken by the Chair are final and expunged remarks cannot be released outside the House. He reminded members that questioning the Chair’s authority is not permissible under parliamentary rules.
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Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman intervened, citing Rule 261 of the Rajya Sabha Rules of Procedure, which empowers the Chair to expunge words deemed defamatory, indecent, or unparliamentary. She added that the Leader of Opposition could not override the Chair’s discretion based on personal judgment.
Kharge contended that deleting his criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi could be seen as limiting parliamentary debate and curbing freedom of speech guaranteed under Article 105(1) of the Constitution. He appealed for reconsideration, stressing his long-standing adherence to parliamentary traditions and the dignity of the House.
As proceedings moved to Question Hour, Congress members continued protesting, but Kharge was not permitted to speak further. The Chair reiterated that expunged remarks cannot be made public and that the authority of the Chair must be respected, ending the debate on the matter.
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