RaGa's 'Bharat Mata,' BJP 'set fire in Manipur' remarks expunged
Parts of Rahul Gandhi's address during the discussion on the no-confidence motion on Wednesday were removed from House records on the chairman's orders, The Indian Express reported. He attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the debate in the Lok Sabha over the ongoing violence in Manipur. Gandhi alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) "murdered Bharat Mata" in the state with its politics.
Why does this story matter?
The speech was the Congress leader's first since being reinstated as an MP following the Supreme Court's stay of his conviction in the 2019 "Modi surname" case on Monday. Notably, the opposition has attacked the central government for avoiding discussing the Manipur issue. On July 26, it moved a no-confidence motion to force PM Modi to speak on the Manipur issue in Parliament.
More details on Gandhi's address in Lok Sabha
While addressing the Lok Sabha in his 37-minute long speech, the Congress MP also compared the prime minister to Ravana. "If the PM does not listen to Manipur, whom does he listen to? He only listens to two people," he said. "Like Ravana only listened to Meghanad and Kumbhakarna, our Prime Minister only listens to Amit Shah and Ambani," added Gandhi.
Rules regarding exclusion of speech in Parliament
It should be noted that if an MP's speech, either whole or in part, is expunged, it is removed from the records of Parliament completely. According to the news outlet First Post, no MP shall be liable under Article 105 (2) of the Constitution to any court proceedings regarding anything they said in Parliament or any other committee thereof.
What is parliamentary language, why MPs need to follow it
However, none of the MPs enjoy the full freedom to say what they want inside the House. While all the MPs are expected to abide by "parliamentary language" during their participation in the debates, rules also empower the speaker of the House to remove parts of an address from the record that may have violated the guidelines.
How is the decision to remove statements made
The head of the reporting section compiles a list of "unparliamentary language" that they believe would harm the decorum or dignity of the House and delivers it to the speaker or presiding officer, citing relevant rules and precedence with a recommendation to remove them. Under Rule 380, the speaker or chairman is then able to expunge the word or usage.
Here's what got expunged from Gandhi's address
Expunged parts of Gandhi's speech in Parliament are as follows! "Aap... (expunged) ho, aap desh bhakt nahin ho ... Aap desh premi nahin ho, aap ... (expunged) ho, aapne desh ki ... (expunged) Manipur mein ki hai (You are ... you are not patriots, you do not love the country, you are ... you have... the country in Manipur)."
