Rajya Sabha Chairperson Jagdeep Dhankhar has ripped into opposition MPs - who this afternoon joined their Lok Sabha colleagues in staging a vociferous protest against the ruling BJP - and said their walking out of the House as Prime Minister Narendra Modi was speaking had set a "dangerous precedent".
The MPs walked out after Mr Dhankhar initially refused Congress boss Mallikarjun Kharge, the Leader of the Opposition, permission to intervene as Mr Modi spoke. Loud chants of "LoP ko bolne do", or "let the LoP speak", were heard, as were plaintive appeals from Mr Kharge, asking for permission.
As the MPs walked out, Mr Dhankhar accused them of having "disrespected" and "challenged" the Constitution and "disregarded (and) insulted the oath they took". "Khargeji insulted his oath by walking out. They (the opposition) have made a mockery of the Constitution. I hope they introspect," he raged.
Mr Dhankhar also insisted he gave Mr Kharge ample time to respond to the PM.
"I urged them... told them LoP was given adequate time to speak without interruption. (But they didn't listen). Today they did not leave the House... they left their dignity. Today they did not show me their back... they showed it to the Constitution. They insulted the oath they took. I am pained by this," he said.
Rajya Sabha Chair Jagdeep Dhankhar and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge (File).
"They challenged the Constitution. I am hurt to see such disrespect. They made a joke of the Constitution. The Constitution is not a book to hold in your hand. I hope they will remember their duty..." he declared.
The House was adjourned after the PM's speech and a Motion of Thanks to President Droupadi Murmu's address. As he closed proceedings, Mr Dhankhar criticised veteran MPs for "irresponsible" conduct.
"Disruption erodes prestige of this esteemed institution. Even LoP walked into the Well... and that was a disgrace. Their walk out was extremely painful. It has set a dangerous precedent," he said.
"We Walked Out Because..."
Speaking to reporters outside Parliament, Mr Kharge explained the opposition's walking out and lashed out at the Prime Minister, declaring, "It is his habit to lie and say things beyond the truth..."
""We walked out because the PM was addressing the House on the President's address and said some wrong things... It is his habit to lie and say things beyond the truth. I just told him... when he was speaking about the Constitution... that you didn't make the Constitution (and that) your people were against it."
Row Over Constitution
The reference to the Constitution as "not just a book to hold in your hand" has been seen by many as a swipe at opposition leaders who took their oaths while holding a copy. Congress MP Rahul Gandhi was among those to be sworn in with the Constitution in his hand.
The Constitution was a major issue in the 2024 general election, with the Congress and other opposition parties warning voters the BJP planned to change key aspects.
READ | Bharat Jodo Chants, Constitution In Hand, Rahul Gandhi Takes Oath As MP
The BJP countered by flagging, as they do every year, the Emergency imposed by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The Emergency, Mr Modi said last month, reminds us of how the Congress "subverted basic freedoms and trampled over the Constitution, which every Indian respects greatly".
The walkout also followed Mr Modi's "auto pilot" swipes at former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, who is now a Rajya Sabha MP. Mrs Gandhi is frequently accused by the BJP of running the UPA I and II governments, led by Dr Manmohan Singh, from behind the scenes.
Modi's "Remote Control" Jab
As the opposition walked out, Mr Modi took a swipe of his own, mocking his rivals and critics for not listening to his reply to questions they had raised. "The country is watching... those who spread lies do not have strength to hear the truth. Those who do not have courage to face truth... do not have courage to listen to answers to questions... They are insulting the glorious tradition of the Upper House."
READ | PM's "Remote" Swipe At Sonia, Opposition Walks Out Of Rajya Sabha
On Tuesday it was the Lok Sabha that witnessed chaos - screaming MPs, an apoplectic Speaker, and a Prime Minister shouting at the top of his voice.
Mr Modi faced a furious wall of noise from the moment he began, with the opposition heckling and screaming at him on a range of issues - from his silence over the violent ethnic conflict in Manipur to leaked question papers for the NEET-UG medical tests.
READ | Screaming Opposition Vs Shouting PM In Parliament Face-Off
And, in dramatic scenes Monday, the PM intervened, twice, as did union ministers Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh as Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition, delivered a fiery speech.
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