On Tuesday, Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, expressing his concern over the removal of parts of his speech in the House. Gandhi criticized the “selective expunction,” calling it illogical and requesting the reinstatement of his comments.
In his first speech as the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Gandhi sharply criticized the BJP, accusing the ruling party of causing communal hatred. Some of his comments made during the discussion on the ‘Motion of Thanks’ in the President’s Address on Monday were later expunged from the records.
In his letter to Speaker Birla, Gandhi acknowledged that the Chair has the authority to expunge certain remarks, as specified under Rule 380 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha. However, he argued that the expunged parts of his speech did not fall under this rule.
“I am constrained to state that the portions expunged do not come under the ambit of Rule 380,” Gandhi stated. He emphasized that his speech reflected the ground reality and factual situation, asserting that every member of the House has the right to speak freely, as guaranteed by Article 105(1) of the Indian Constitution.
Gandhi emphasized the importance of this right and mentioned that he was fulfilling his duty to the people by speaking in the House. He argued that removing his comments diminishes the principles of parliamentary democracy.
He also pointed out the inconsistency in the treatment of speeches with respect to different leaders, mentioning that despite numerous allegations in the speech by Anurag Thakur, only one word was expunged. “This selective expunction defies logic,” Gandhi said, urging that his expunged remarks be restored.
Speaking to reporters outside the Parliament complex, Gandhi stated that while the truth might be expunged in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s world, it remains unchangeable in reality. “Whatever I had to say, I have said, and that is the truth. They can expunge as much as they want, but the truth will prevail,” he concluded.
Past Event
In a two-hour speech, Rahul Gandhi emerged as the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, causing widespread political turmoil and anger among the opposition leaders. Accusing the BJP of “violence, hatred, and lies’ ‘, he accused them of being against the basic tenets of Hinduism.
“All religions and all our great men talk about non-violence and fearlessness, but those who call themselves Hindus only talk about violence, hatred, and falsehood.” He further said, “Aap Hindu ho hi nahi (you are not Hindus).
Narendra Modi lashed Rahul Gandhi for defaming Hinduism, saying “Calling the entire Hindu society violent is a serious issue.” However, Gandhi clarified that he wasn’t referring to Hindu society but the representation of Hinduism by the BJP as if they were the sole representatives of the religion. He said, “Ye theka nahi hai, BJP ka.”.
While the opposition rose with the chants “Bharat Mata ki Jai” and “Jai Shri Ram,” Gandhi responded with “Jai Samvidhan,” creating turmoil inside the Parliament. Since then, several parts of Rahul Gandhi have been expunged from the records of the Parliament by the order of the speaker. Those include remarks on Prime Minister Modi, the BJP, the RSS, and the Hindus.
