The opposition staged a walkout from the Rajya Sabha during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech on Wednesday, July 3. The opposition protested as the opposition was not allowed to intervene despite repeated requests by Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge.
After the walkout, Mallikarjun Kharge launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and accused him of “misleading” the public and “speaking against the truth”. Mallikarjun Kharge criticised Narendra Modi and said that the Prime Minister has a “habit of lying.”
What happened in Rajya Sabha?
Mallikarjun Kharge wanted to intervene during Narendra Modi’s reply to the motion of thanks on President Draupadi Murmu’s address in the joint session of Parliament.
When Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar did not heed their request to allow them to speak, opposition MPs disrupted the Prime Minister’s address, raised slogans and walked out, drawing criticism from ruling party members.
Despite the interruption, Narendra Modi continued with his speech amid sloganeering.
Kharge vs Modi in Rajya Sabha
Vice President Dhankhar and Prime Minister Modi accused the opposition of insulting the Constitution.
During his speech, PM Modi told the Congress, “I say with all seriousness that the Congress is the biggest enemy of the Constitution. The word ‘Constitution’ does not suit you.” He said, “People voted for us because they know that only we can protect the Constitution.”
Jagdeep Dhankhar condemned his walkout and said that it was an insult to the Constitution. Dhankhar said, “Khargeji has insulted the oath of office by walking out. He has made a mockery of the Constitution. I hope he will introspect.”
The Rajya Sabha chairman also made it clear that Mallikarjun Kharge was given enough time to speak without any interruption. He said, “Today he did not turn his back on me, he turned his back on the Constitution of India. He did not disrespect me or you, he disrespected the oath of the Constitution that he had taken…there can be no greater disrespect to the Constitution of India than this.”
After the walkout, Mallikarjun Kharge said that Narendra Modi has a habit of lying. He said, “We walked out of the House because the Prime Minister was saying some wrong things while replying to the motion of thanks. His habit is to lie, mislead people and speak against the truth. I asked him that he did not make the Constitution and he is against it. I just wanted to make it clear who is in favour of the Constitution and who is against it… They opposed the Constitution. They are against it from the beginning and they say they are in favour of it. Now they are saying that we are against it.”
VIDEO | Opposition MPs walk out of Rajya Sabha. What opposition leader Mallikarjun Kharge said.
He said, “We walked out of the House because the Prime Minister was saying some wrong things during his reply to the motion of thanks. It is his habit to lie, mislead people and speak against the truth. I… pic.twitter.com/tAbD1ePX7P
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 3, 2024
Addressing the media after the walkout, Sharad Pawar said that Mallikarjun Kharge’s constitutional post should be respected. [Mallikarjun Kahrge] He said, “Mr Modi is in a constitutional position. Whether he is the Prime Minister or the Speaker of the House, it is their responsibility to respect him, but today all this was ignored and so the entire opposition is with him, and that is why we walked out.”
