NEW DELHI: Members of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) erupted in protest in both Houses of Parliament on Tuesday over Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge’s comments at a political rally in Rajasthan a day ago, disrupting proceedings, forcing adjournments, and demanding an apology.
Kharge, who took on the BJP over patriotism and contribution to the freedom struggle, stood his ground and argued that remarks made outside Parliament should not be raised in the House.
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Minutes after proceedings started in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, BJP members sought an apology from Kharge with the leader of the House, Piyush Goyal, dubbing the Congress chief’s comment as unparliamentary and demanded Kharge should not be present in the House till he apologises.
“He made baseless remarks and tried to mislead the nation with untruths... I strongly condemn this and demand an apology from him.” Goyal said. After Independence, Mahatma Gandhi had called for disbanding the Congress and Kharge’s behaviour showed what Gandhi had said “was true”, he added.
The controversy was sparked by Kharge’s speech on Monday during the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Rajasthan’s Alwar town. The 80-year-old leader described the Congress’s contribution to the country’s independence and unity, underlining the assassination of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, and targeted the BJP. ”Aapke ghar mein koi desh ke liye kutta bhi mara hai? Kya koi toh kurbani di hai? Nahi (Has even a dog in your home died for the country? Have you made any sacrifice? No),” he said in Hindi. “They talk like a lion outwardly, but if you see they act like a mouse. We want that the issue be discussed and give notices, but they are still not ready for a discussion in Parliament,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}The controversy was sparked by Kharge’s speech on Monday during the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Rajasthan’s Alwar town. The 80-year-old leader described the Congress’s contribution to the country’s independence and unity, underlining the assassination of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, and targeted the BJP. ”Aapke ghar mein koi desh ke liye kutta bhi mara hai? Kya koi toh kurbani di hai? Nahi (Has even a dog in your home died for the country? Have you made any sacrifice? No),” he said in Hindi. “They talk like a lion outwardly, but if you see they act like a mouse. We want that the issue be discussed and give notices, but they are still not ready for a discussion in Parliament,” he added.
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In the Lok Sabha, too, BJP members demanded an apology from the Congress, forcing a brief adjournment.
Kharge, on his part, asserted that his statement was a political and in response to the allegation that the Congress was carrying out a Bharat Todo Yatra (Breaking India Yatra).
He went on to add: “If I repeat what I said outside, it will be difficult for them. Those who sought an apology (from the British during Independence) are asking for an apology from those who fought for the country’s Independence. They accused the Congress of holding Bharat Todo Yatra, to which I responded by saying that Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi gave their lives for the country. Who has given life from your side?”
Chiding both sides for disrupting the House, Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said a wrong message was being sent through the behaviour of the members. “And, I can tell you, people outside are disillusioned. This kind of display of conduct and behaviour gives us a very, very bad name,” he said.
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Speaking outside Parliament, parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi said: “We strongly condemn the statement made by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in Rajasthan yesterday. It’s an Italian Congress which is running today. It is being said that he is a rubber stamp president.”
The BJP’s attack, however, helped the Opposition forge unity and protest against the arrival of a team of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in Bihar following the deaths of 70 people due to adulterated alcohol in Saran district last week.
Both the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Janata Dal (United) wanted to raise the issue but found no chance. RJD MP Manoj Jha was the first to raise the issue and leaders of all parties, including Kharge, pleaded that Jha be allowed to speak. The chairman, however, advised Jha to meet him in his chambers.
But the Trinamool Congress asked its MP, Dola Sen, to speak about the NHRC team in Bihar during her Zero Hour intervention. Accordingly, Sen started to speak on the rural jobs guarantee scheme but switched to the Bihar issue and announced: “We are walking out of the House.” TMC leaders later said that it was a strategy chalked out by senior Opposition leaders on Monday evening.
Speaking in Parliament, Sen said that it was a matter of sorrow that the commission did not go to Morbi in Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, but went to only Bihar and West Bengal. She was referring to the bridge collapse in Morbi on October 30 that killed 135people. Putting her protest on record for not being allowed to raise the issue, she said the Opposition would walk out.