Kharge explains why opposition walked out during Modi's RS speech
What's the story
In a dramatic turn of events, the opposition bloc parties, led by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, staged a walkout during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. The walkout was triggered by a remark from PM Modi aimed at former United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi. Addressing the media shortly after the incident, Kharge said Modi has a "habit" of "lying and misleading the people."
BJP criticism
Kharge criticizes BJP's past stance on Constitution
"They (BJP) say that we (Congress) are against the Constitution, but the truth is that BJP-RSS, Jan Sangh and their political forefathers had strongly opposed the Constitution of India. They had burnt the effigies of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru at that time," Kharge told the media. "This was a shameful thing," he added. Kharge had asked Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar for permission to intervene during PM Modi's speech, but the Chair said their actions were "inappropriate."
Modi's speech
PM Modi emphasizes importance of Constitution in speech
Soon, opposition leaders stormed out. "I just wanted to clarify who was for the Constitution and who was against it. RSS wrote in their editorial in 1950 that the bad thing about the Constitution is that there is nothing about India's history. They opposed the Constitution," the Congress leader said. "They are against it since the beginning and they say that they are for it," he explained.
Modi
Kharge reiterates accusations post walkout
During his reply to the Motion of Thanks on the President's address in Rajya Sabha, PM Modi spoke about the importance of the Constitution and how it has enabled him to hold public office. He also took a jibe at Sonia, saying, "These people are such who are used to running the government on autopilot and remote pilot. They don't believe in working, they just know how to wait."
Walkout criticism
Rajya Sabha Chairman criticizes opposition's walkout
Meanwhile, Rajya Sabha Chairman Dhankar criticized the opposition's walkout, accusing them of insulting the Constitution. He stated, "Khargeji insulted oath of the office through the walkout. They have made a mockery of the Constitution." Dhankar also clarified that Kharge was given ample time to speak without any interruptions and expressed hope for introspection from the opposition.