Kharge seeks restoration of expunged portions of his speech; Chairman declines

New Delhi (PTI): Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday raised the issue of large portions of his speech during the debate on the motion of thanks to the President's address being expunged and demanded that they be restored.

Raising the issue soon after the Zero Hour, Kharge urged the chair to reconsider his decision of expunging certain portions of his speech, saying otherwise he will release them to the public.

Chairman CP Radhakrishnan, however, said he cannot question the chair, and what he was saying was not correct, as whatever has been expunged from the records cannot be released outside.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also questioned Kharge, saying he cannot question the decision of the chair, as it does not behove of Kharge as the Leader of Opposition, to speak like this.

Raising the issue, Kharge urged the chairman to restore excerpts from the February 4, 2026, speech made by him in the house while participating in the debate on the motion of thanks.

"I made several important points, with facts, ranging from social justice to the parliamentary system. However, upon reviewing the verbatim text of the speech uploaded on the Rajya Sabha website, I found that a large portion of my speech had been expunged or deleted without any proper justification.

"My review has revealed that the unrecorded portions of my speech are those in which I provided factual comments on parliamentary proceedings during the current government's tenure and criticised certain policies of the Prime Minister, which is my responsibility as Leader of the Opposition," he asserted, claiming that he believes those policies are adversely affecting the Indian psyche.

Citing his five-decade-long parliamentary career, Kharg said, "I have always been conscious and attentive of the decorum of language, being aware of the dignity of the House, its rules and traditions, and the duties of the presiding officer. I am fully aware of where and what can be raised".

He said Rule 261 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Council of States (Rajya Sabha) applies only in specific and limited circumstances, and thus his speech should be restored.

"I therefore request you to recognise that my deleted remarks contain nothing unparliamentary or defamatory, nor do they violate Rule 261. What I said was clearly relevant to the topic under discussion. They were entirely within the scope of the Motion of Thanks. I therefore believe that the deletion of such a large portion of my speech raises concerns about the right to freedom of expression guaranteed to MPs under Article 105(1) of the Constitution and is against democracy.

"I therefore request you to reconsider and reinstate the deleted portions. If I am not given justice by you, I will be forced to share the unrecorded versions with the public. This is my constitutional duty as Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha," he said, requesting the chairman to consider this matter seriously.

The chairman initially said, "OK, I will look into it".

When Kharge said he would otherwise release the deleted portions in public, the Chairman said, "That cannot be done. You are an elderly member, how can you say that? Whatever has been expunged, you cannot say that".

Kharge, however, asserted, "It is my right to criticise his policies, the government and Modi ji", adding that if the chairman deletes remarks, it will be construed that he is protecting the Prime Minister.

At this, the chairman retorted, "That is not correct. I am not agreeing to your point. This is not democratic. You are instructing the chair. That is not correct".

Thereafter, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman got up and said, "The Leader of the Opposition has stood up and has questioned your decision-making".

She quoted Rule 261, which reads, "If the chairman is of the opinion that a word or words have been used which is/are defamatory or indecent or unparliamentary or undignified, he may in his discretion order that such word/words may be expunged from the proceedings of the Council".

Sitharaman further said, "What the Leader of the Opposition is trying to suggest here is that on his own judgment, he thinks he has done nothing undignified. Whereas you have taken a call as a chairman".

"To re-question that and to suggest that this is to protect the Prime Minister, I think, is not appropriate for the position of the Leader of the Opposition. I think the respect should be given to the chair," the finance minister said.

As the Chairman asked the members to continue with the Question Hour, Congress members continued to protect. But the chairman did not allow him to speak, and instead said, "You cannot question the chair".