Congress Leader Mallikarjun Kharge protests removal of speech portions in Rajya Sabha

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has expressed his strong objection to the removal of portions of his speech during the discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President's address on February 2 in the Rajya Sabha. Kharge, the leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha, read out his letter to Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, urging the restoration of the expunged remarks. Kharge emphasized that this is not the first time portions of his speeches have been removed and insisted that no part of his recent speech violated the rules that could warrant expunging.

In his letter to the chairman, Kharge questioned how a word could be considered unparliamentary when it is mentioned in the Constitution, referring to Article 17 that abolishes untouchability. He highlighted the opportunity for members to address various issues during the Motion of Thanks discussion and clarified that he did not name the chief minister or the state in question. Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, acknowledging Kharge's communication, mentioned that the removal was due to a word deemed unparliamentary, and he is considering Kharge's four raised points.