Rahul Gandhi lambasted the BJP for communal division during a parliamentary discussion on Monday, prompting some of his words to be removed from the record in the face of strong opposition from the ruling party.
In reaction to some of his erased statements in the Lower House yesterday, Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, remarked on Tuesday that “everything is expunged in PM Modi’s world.”.
“In Modi Ji’s universe, the truth may be erased. But, in fact, the truth cannot be hidden. I told the truth. They may erase whatever they want. “Truth is truth,” he told reporters outside Parliament.
In an X post, Rahul Gandhi stated that a free and fair discourse is the backbone of democracy.
In his maiden statement as Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi accused the governing party’s leaders of separating people along religious lines, sparking enormous protests from the treasury benches, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi chastising him for referring to the whole Hindu population as aggressive.
Rahul Gandhi was speaking during the discussion on the Motion of Thanks for the President’s speech to a joint session of Parliament.
Gandhi referenced Prophet Muhammad to emphasize that the Quran speaks about bravery.
He held up images of Lord Shiva, Guru Nanak, and Jesus Christ, citing Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, Christianity, Buddhism, and Jainism to emphasize the value of fearlessness. He also referenced Lord Shiva’s traits as well as the teachings of Guru Nanak, Jesus Christ, Buddha, and Mahavir, claiming that all faiths and great individuals say, “Daro mat, darao mat” (do not be terrified, do not terrify others).
Rahul Gandhi’s words sparked an outcry from the Treasury benches, prompting the Chair to strike them from the record.
Gandhi’s statements expunged from Parliament proceedings included accusations against the BJP, claiming that the party treats minorities unfairly, remarks about industrialists Adani and Ambani, accusations that the NEET exam is for rich people and has no place for meritorious students, and claims that the Agniveer Scheme is run by the PMO rather than the Indian Army.
Aside from PM Modi, who interrupted twice, at least five cabinet members spoke during Gandhi’s address, which lasted nearly 1 hour and 40 minutes, with Home Minister Amit Shah seeking an apology from him.
“There is more than one religion that talks about courage. In fact, all of our religions speak about bravery,” Gandhi remarked in his inaugural address as Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, while Sonia Gandhi and her sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra listened from the visitors’ gallery.
As the treasury bench members rose in protest, Gandhi attacked the BJP, stating, “Aap Hindu ho hi nahi” (You are not Hindus). “It is clearly written in Hinduism that one should stand with the truth and not back down or be afraid of it,” he explained.
Modi intervened in his address, saying, “This is a serious matter. Calling the whole Hindu community aggressive is a major matter.”
In his closing remarks, Gandhi urged the ruling party not to instill fear or hatred.
“Do not see the opponents as your adversaries. We are open to discussing anything you wish. Let’s work together to move the country forward,” he remarked.
Parts of MALLIKARJUN KHARGE’S SPEECH WERE EXPUNGED.
Mallikarjun Kharge, the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, had portions of his speech removed from Parliament records as well.
According to an official document, phrases such as ‘Satyanash’ (annihilate), ‘Ghamand’ (arrogance), and ‘Mujra’ (a dance performance by women that originated under Mughal reign in India) were removed from Kharge’s Parliament speech recordings.
Aside from such phrases, the House erased some of Kharge’s utterances, in which he accused PM Modi of dividing society and promoting falsehoods.
