Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday claimed that portions of his February 4 speech in the Upper House of Parliament on the Motion of Thanks on president’s address were “either expunged or removed” without justification.

The Congress president alleged that the omitted portions included comments on the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Union government's policies.

“I found that the unrecorded portions of my speech are those in which I made comments, supported by facts, on the functioning of Parliament during the current government’s tenure,” Kharge said in a social media post.

Advertisement

He added: “[I] criticised certain policies of the prime minister, which is also my duty as the leader of Opposition because I believe those policies are having an adverse impact on the Indian public.”

Kharge said that he was aware and sensitive to the dignity of the House and the duties of the presiding officer.

“I wish to respectfully request that [Rajya Sabha Chairperson CP Radhakrishnan] review the portions of my speech that have been removed and that contain nothing unparliamentary or defamatory,” Kharge said.

Advertisement

He also said that such a move violated the right to freedom of expression guaranteed to MPs.

From the treasury benches, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman objected to Kharge’s charge against the chairperson as “disrespectful” and “not appropriate”, The Indian Express reported.

Sitharaman said the chairman has the discretion to expunge remarks. “To suggest that it is protect the honourable prime minister, it is not appropriate for the position of the leader of the Opposition,” the newspaper quoted Sitharaman as saying.

She added: “If the chairman is of the opinion that a minister or a member has used word/words in debate which is/are defamatory, indecent, unparliamentary or undignified, the chairman may, in his discretion, order that such word or words be expunged from the proceedings of the council.”