Rajya Sabha witnesses uproar over Kharge's 'unparliamentary' expression
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New Delhi (PTI): The Rajya Sabha witnessed an uproar on Tuesday over an 'unparliamentary' remark by Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, who apologised to the Chair while clarifying that it was meant for the government that was "trying to create a regional divide" in the country.
As the Upper House took up a discussion on the working of the Education Ministry soon after the Question Hour, several opposition members were on their feet demanding an apology from minister Dharmendra Pradhan for his remarks against the Tamil Nadu government.
Pradhan on Monday slammed the Tamil Nadu government for its stand on the three-language policy under the National Education Policy (NEP), accusing it of "ruining the future of the students" in the state for politics
On Tuesday, as Deputy Chairman Harivansh called Congress leader Digvijay Singh to initiate a discussion on the working of the education ministry, DMK MPs, who came dressed in black to oppose delimitation and NEP, were on their feet demanding an apology from Pradhan.
Amid the uproar, Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge stood up to intervene.
Even though the Chair said the Congress president had already been given an opportunity to speak in the morning, Kharge said the education minister was not in the House at that time. "This is a dictatorship," he said.
As the Chair said it was Singh's turn to speak, Kharge said the opposition was prepared to corner the government.
Kharge used a Hindi expression to mean that the opposition would "hit back" at the government, leading to an uproar from the treasury benches that claimed the expression was "unparliamentary".
Leader of the House JP Nadda intervened and said the expression used by the Leader of Opposition is condemnable.
"The language used by the Leader of Opposition, the aspersions on the chair, is condemnable... This is to be condemned by one and all. The words and language used for the Chair is unpardonable, still he should apologise and the word should be expunged," he said.
Kharge immediately apologised for using the expression, and also clarified that it was not meant for the chair but for government policies. "I am sorry, I was not speaking about you, it was about government policies. I am sorry if you were hurt by my remarks, I apologise to you," he said.
"You are hurting the self-respect of a part of this country and people, and calling them uncultured and uncivilised... The minister should be asked to resign. They are talking about dividing and breaking the country," Kharge said.
Nadda said it is good that Kharge apologised to the Chair, and appreciated his gesture, adding the remarks are still condemnable if they were meant for the government.
The Chair then called Digvijay Singh to speak who initiated the debate on the working of the Education Ministry.
During his reply in Lok Sabha on the Central funds for the PM Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) scheme on Monday, Pradhan had called the MK Stalin government of Tamil Nadu "dishonest" and "uncivilised", evoking protests from the DMK MPs.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
