`Atal Bihari Vajpayee Used Similar Words...`: Congress Over Expunging of Speech Parts of Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge

Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge slammed the PM Narendra Modi led government for keeping silence on the accusations of financial fraud against Adani Group.

New Delhi: The Congress was furious on Thursday after the presiding officers of both the Houses expunged parts of the speech made by Mallikarjun Kharge in the Rajya Sabha and Rahul Gandhi in the Lok Sabha. Kharge, Congress MP and Leader of Opposition, raised the matter before the Rajya Sabha Chairman. He said that he had not said anything unparliamentary and his speech should be restored. He said that in the past former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had used similar words for former PM Narsimha Rao. Pramod Tiwari of the Congress said that these words were part of the various Assembly proceedings. 

Kharge on Wednesday while speaking on the motion of thanks to the President`s Address said, "Wealth of one of the closest friends of the Prime Minister increased by 12 times in the last two and half years. In 2014 it was Rs 50,000 crore group while in 2019 it became Rs 1 lakh crore group, but what `jadu` (magic) happened that suddenly in two years assets worth Rs 12 lakh crore came...whether it is due to the favour of friendship."

On February 7, Rahul Gandhi during the discussion on motion of thanks in the Lok Sabha, had attacked the PM, and said "Earlier he used to travel in Adani`s aircraft and now Adani travels with Modiji in his aircraft. First the matter was limited to Gujarat then the country and now he has become international."

On Thursday, Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar rejected the suspension notice under rule 267 moved by Aam Aadmi Party`s Sanjay Singh and BRS`s K. Keshav Rao after which the AAP staged a walkout.

Sanjay Singh said all the notices were rejected and alleged that the government was stalling the discussion on Adani row.

Singh had demanded suspension of business under rule 267 on Wednesday too, but the notice was rejected by the chair following the AAP staged a walkout. The notice said that the public sector banks and LIC have lost money in the Adani Group case after the Hindenburg report surfaced.