‘Khujli’ vs ‘abodh balak’ jibe: Kharge and Nadda face-off in Rajya Sabha as Parliament logjam drags on

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NEW DELHI: A major showdown erupted in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday after leader of opposition Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi was being prevented from speaking in the Lower House.The opposition has been protesting against the Centre for allegedly blocking Rahul Gandhi from addressing the Lok Sabha, citing former Army Chief General MM Naravane’s unpublished memoir on the 2020 India-China standoff.Raising the issue in the Upper House, Kharge said, “Parliament means Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. The LoP, Lok Sabha, wanted to speak on the country’s interests, but was not allowed to speak. How can you run the House like this?”

The remarks triggered strong objections from leader of the House JP Nadda and parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju, who argued that matters related to the Lok Sabha cannot be discussed in the Rajya Sabha.“The LoP should know that the proceedings of the Lok Sabha cannot be discussed in the Rajya Sabha,” Union minister JP Nadda said.Kharge, however, persisted with his criticism and said, “You have given me an opportunity to speak about the democratic principles of the country. Parliament comprises the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. As per our Constitution, we have two chambers. But the Lok Sabha LoP is not allowed to speak. He wanted to discuss the country’s interests… We understand and do not want to disturb the House. For the past four days, the House has not been functioning because it has not allowed the LoP to speak. Parliament doesn’t comprise only one House. You cannot paralyse one House to hide your mistakes. You betrayed and insulted the nation. When Rahul talks about it, then ‘aapko khujli uthti hai’ (you get itchy)…”Responding sharply, Nadda reiterated, “The LoP (Rajya Sabha) should know that the proceedings of Lok Sabha cannot be discussed in Rajya Sabha. Previous chairmen have given rulings on this. If he wants, he should ask his party members to discuss in the Lok Sabha… I want to give a message to Congress and the nation that the government under Prime Minister Modi is ready for all discussions.”He added, “PM Modi was ready to answer the questions raised in Lok Sabha, but you did not allow the House to function. You demanded a statement on the India-US trade deal; Piyush Goyal ji delivered a statement. Leader of opposition (Kharge) spoke for 20 minutes over his given time, but we said you may speak more. Saying that democracy is in danger is wrong, and I condemn it. Don’t make your party hostage to an innocent child.”Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman also joined the debate, invoking past incidents to counter Kharge’s remarks. She said, “I heard him say you people lynch. I want that word removed. Let me remind you, under the Congress government in Rajasthan, based on a BJP leader’s comment, there was the lynching of a tailor, and no action was taken. In Kerala, under the Congress, the hands of a teacher were chopped off. What action did they take?”Kharge also took strong objection to what he described as the “humiliation” of former Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi by BJP lawmakers, apparently referring to citations from controversial books in recent speeches.”BJP’s people repeatedly use abusive words for Nehru ji and Indira ji. I condemn the words that BJP’s people have used for the Leader of the Opposition,” Kharge said.The parliamentary logjam has been continuing since Monday, with repeated disruptions over the Opposition’s demand that Rahul Gandhi be allowed to speak in the Lok Sabha. The stalemate intensified earlier this week when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was scheduled to reply to the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address in the Lower House, but cancelled his speech due to uproar and protests. Go to Source