Large portions of my speech expunged without reason, restore it: Kharge to Chairman

If he did not receive justice in this matter, Kharge said, he would be compelled to share the version “not recorded” with the public.

Radhakrishnan said he will look into the issue but added that whatever has been expunged from records cannot be released outside. The Chairman said, “… How can you say that? Whatever has been expunged, you cannot say that.”

Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned on Friday until March 9. The Upper House met for Zero Hour at 11 am and was adjourned at 1 pm after the scheduled Question Hour.

Raising the issue just before the Question Hour was to begin, Kharge, who is also the Congress chief, said, “… Upon reviewing the verbatim transcript of the speech uploaded on the Rajya Sabha website, I found a large portion of my speech has been either expunged or removed without any proper justification or rationale.”

“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 and criticised certain policies of the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) — which is also my duty as the Leader of Opposition, because I believe those policies are having an adverse impact on the Indian public,” he said.

Responding to Kharge, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman quoted Rule 261 on proceedings of the Council, and said that the Chairman had discretion to expunge remarks, and the Leader of the Opposition was “disrespecting” the Chairman.

She said what the LoP was trying to suggest was based on his own judgment that he has done nothing undignified, and questioned the Chairman’s call to expunge the said remarks. “To suggest it is to protect the Prime Minister is not appropriate for the position of the LoP,” she said.

“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,” Sitharaman said, quoting Rule 261.