Rahul Gandhi writes to Speaker over expunged remarks, BJP counters

Rahul Gandhi wrote to Speaker Om Birla, asserting that the expunged parts of his Lok Sabha speech did not violate Rule 380 and requested its restoration. BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj moved a notice, seeking action against Rahul Gandhi, saying his statements were "misleading".

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj. (Photos: PTI)

BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj on Tuesday moved a notice in the Lok Sabha against the July 1 speech made by Leader of Opposition and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi in the House. She urged Speaker Om Birla to take the necessary action and said Rahul Gandhi's statements were "factually incorrect" and "misleading in nature".

This comes hours after parts of Rahul Gandhi's Lok Sabha speech were expunged from the Parliament records, with the Congress MP shooting off a letter to the Speaker, saying the portions expunged do not come under the ambit of Rule 380.

In a counter move, Bansuri Swaraj, in her notice, alleged that Rahul Gandhi "deliberately" made a factually inaccurate statement regarding the Agniveer scheme. She also said his comments on farmers and Minimum Support Price (MSP) were "inaccurate", "false" and "without any basis".

The BJP MP from New Delhi accused the Congress leader of "deliberately" attempting to malign and spread hate against her party.

"These above mentioned statements made by the LoP in Lok Sabha are factually incorrect and misleading in nature and hence appropriate proceedings ought to be initiated as provided under Rule 115. I therefore pray that you kindly take cognisance of the deliberate inaccuracies made by Rahul Gandhi and take necessary action," she said in the notice to the Speaker.

The Congress leader, in his letter to the Speaker, said whatever he told the House in his speech was "ground reality and the factual position". He also requested the Speaker to restore his expunged remarks.

"I am writing this in the context of remarks and portions expunged from my speech during a discussion on the Motion of Thanks on the President's Address on 1 July 2024. The stipulation is only those kinds of words, the nature of which have been specified in Rule 380 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha," he said.

"I am, however, shocked to note the manner in which a considerable portion of my speech has been simply taken off from the proceedings under the garb of expunction," he stated.

In his first speech as the LoP in the Lok Sabha, Gandhi launched a no-holds-barred attack on the BJP, accusing the leaders of the ruling party of dividing people on communal lines.

Gandhi's remarks drew massive protests from the treasury benches and a rare intervention from the prime minister, who slammed the Congress leader for calling the entire Hindu community violent.

"I am enclosing relevant portions of uncorrected Debates of Lok Sabha dated 2 July. I am constrained to state that the portions expunged do not come under the ambit of Rule 380. What I sought to convey in the House is ground reality, the factual position. Every member of the House who personifies the collective voice of the people whom he or she represents has the freedom of speech as enshrined in Article 105(1) of the Constitution of India. It is every member's right to raise people's concerns on the floor of the House," Rahul Gandhi wrote in the letter.

"It is that right and in exercise of my obligations to the people of the country, that I was exercising yesterday. Taking off from records my considered remarks goes against the very tenets of parliamentary democracy," the letter read.

"In this context, I also wish to draw attention to the speech of Anurag Thakur whose speech was full of allegations. However, surprisingly, only one word has been expunged. With due respect to your good self, this selective expunction defies logic. I request that the remarks expunged from the proceedings be restored," Rahul Gandhi wrote in the letter.

Earlier today, while speaking to reporters, Rahul Gandhi said, "Whatever I had to say, I have said and that is the truth. They can expunge as much as they want, but the truth will prevail."

During his speech in the Lok Sabha, Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed the Congress leader for calling the entire Hindu community violent.

Besides Modi, who intervened twice, at least five cabinet ministers interjected during Gandhi's speech which lasted for about an hour and 40 minutes, with Home Minister Amit Shah demanding an apology from him.

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