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Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday said a big portion of his speech during the Motion of Thanks to the President's Address on February 4 was removed from the official record without justification.
Kharge described the move as "against democracy and freedom of speech," noting that the expunged sections included his critiques of government policies, which he said it is his duty to highlight as an opposition member. He also urged that the removed portions be restored. Speaking in the Upper House of Parliament, Kharge said, "I would like to bring to your attention in the discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President's Address on February 4, 2026...When I reviewed the video uploaded on the Rajya Sabha website, I noticed that a significant portion of my speech was removed without any proper explanation or justification. Upon reviewing, I found that the unrecorded portion included my observations on the current government's functioning in Parliament, along with factual references. I also critiqued certain policies of the Prime Minister, which I believe it is my responsibility as a member of the opposition to do, especially when these policies appear to have an adverse effect on the people." "I have served as a parliamentarian for over five decades, working as a legislator and member of Parliament with dedication, always upholding dignity, decorum, and respect for language. Therefore, I sincerely request that the portions of my speech that were removed be reinstated, as they do not contain any unparliamentary or defamatory words, nor do they violate Rule 261. Removing such a large portion of my speech goes against democracy and the freedom of speech," he said. Rajya Sabha Chairman CP Radhakrishnan responded to Kharge's demand for restoration of expunged remarks, saying the removed portions "cannot be restored" and asserting that directing the Chair on the matter is "not right" and "not democratic." "This is not right, this is not democratic, you are instructing the chair," Radhakrishnan said. Later, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that Kharge "stood up to question the Chairman's decision-making," and cited rules allowing the Chair to expunge words deemed defamatory, indecent, unparliamentary or undignified. "If the Chairman is of the opinion that a Minister or a Member has used a word/words in debate which is/are defamatory, indecent, unparliamentary or undignified, the Chairman may, in his discretiong order that such word/words be expunged from the council proceedings," Sitharaman quoted the rule book. The Rajya Sabha was adjourned on Friday and is scheduled to meet again on March 9 after a three-week recess. (ANI)
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