"Don't bring Varna system," Dhankhar, Kharge engage in war of word in RS
New Delhi, Jul 2: The Rajya Sabha witnessed a war of words on Tuesday when Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar sarcastically said Jairam Ramesh should take the seat of Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, in an effort to discipline the Congress MP.
Kharge, who is also the president of the Congress, retorted by saying the chairman was trying to bring in the "Varna" (caste) system.
The acrimony started when Dhankhar asked Pramod Tiwari of the Congress not to state unverified facts. To this, Ramesh said it would be authenticated.
"The senior leadership (Kharge) is here. I think you (Ramesh) should replace (Kharge).... You are so intelligent, so gifted, so talented, you should immediately come and take the seat in place of Mr Kharge because, by and large, you are doing his job," the chairman said.
At this point, Kharge retorted by saying "do not bring in the Varna system...that is why you are calling Ramesh very intelligent ... and I am dull".
An agitated Dhankhar accused Kharge of "twisting" his remark and said he never meant it.
"Never in the history of parliamentary democracy and Rajya Sabha proceedings there has been such a disregard of the chair," he said.
Kharge added that whatever he is today is because of Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and the people of the country.
Later, Tiwari continued his speech on the Motion of Thanks to the president for her address to a joint sitting of Parliament.
VP Dhankar: Jairam Ramesh is so intelligent, talented, and gifted that you should immediately take the place of Kharge!
— The White-Dark Knight (@syndrome_knight) July 2, 2024
*Kharge Sahab refutes back*:
Don't bring that varnashram!
I think you still have that Varna Caste System in your mind.
🔥🔥🔥🤣 Brutally Slayed! pic.twitter.com/6Fwse0wqLP
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NEET student hangs self in Rajasthan's Sikar
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
