A major confrontation erupted in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday as Leader of the House and Union Minister J P Nadda launched a sharp attack on the Opposition, taking a veiled swipe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi by calling him an “abodh balak” (naive child).
The remarks came amid continuing disruptions in Parliament over the Opposition’s demand that Gandhi be allowed to speak in the Lok Sabha.
Nadda urged Congress president and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge not to let his party become “hostage” to Gandhi. Stating that the government was willing to discuss all issues, he accused the Congress of stalling proceedings. “Don’t make your party hostage to someone who is abodh (ignorant) and has arrogance,” Nadda said.
The Opposition has been protesting against the Centre, alleging that Gandhi was deliberately prevented from addressing the Lok Sabha. The demand follows references made by Gandhi to former Army chief General M M Naravane’s “memoir” on the 2020 India-China border standoff.
Raising the issue in the Upper House, Kharge argued that Parliament comprises both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. “The leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha wanted to speak on the country’s interests but was not allowed. How can you run the House like this?” he asked.
Kharge’s remarks drew strong objections from Nadda and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, who maintained that the proceedings of the Lok Sabha cannot be discussed in the Rajya Sabha. Kharge, however, persisted, claiming that Parliament had been paralysed for four consecutive days because Gandhi was not allowed to speak. “You cannot paralyse one House to hide your mistakes. You betrayed and insulted the nation. When Rahul talks about it, aapko khujli uthti hai (you get itchy),” he said.
Nadda said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was ready to answer questions in the Lok Sabha but the Opposition had not allowed the House to function. He said Kharge himself was allowed to speak beyond his allotted time. “Claiming democracy is in danger is wrong, and I condemn it,” Nadda said.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also intervened, objecting to Kharge’s use of the word “lynch”, citing incidents in Congress-ruled states, including the killing of a tailor in Rajasthan and the assault on a teacher in Kerala, questioning the Opposition’s record on law and order.
Kharge further objected to what he described as the humiliation of former prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi by BJP lawmakers, referring to citations from controversial books during recent debates.