A heated exchange over an alleged "purification" of a Ramlila stage after Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge's speech the other day in Haldwani (Uttarakhand) dominated the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, triggering noisy scenes and repeated disruptions.
Kharge expressed deep anguish, stating that he had spoken only about people's problems without referring to any religion or community. Yet, he alleged, some individuals associated with the BJP later "purified" the stage.
Linking the act to the practice of untouchability, Kharge asserted that despite his Dalit identity, he possessed the strength to fight such insults and did not seek protection nor want to make it politicised.
Responding to him, leader of the House J.P. Nadda said the incident was painful for everyone, not just the Congress party. He clarified that the BJP did not subscribe to such activities, condemned them strongly, and assured that the party president and the government would investigate the matter and take action.
Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan also intervened with strong observations. "If untouchability is not a sin, there is no sin in this world. We all condemn it, irrespective of parties. There is no need to purify ourselves again and again," he said, urging the government to identify and punish those responsible.
Opposition members continued to protest loudly, raising various slogans.
Amid the continuing uproar, the House took up the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill after a request to dispense with Zero Hour and Question Hour, as it was the last day of the session.
Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy moved the Bill, as passed by the Lok Sabha, for consideration, while Tiruchi Siva moved an amendment. A notice of disapproval of the Bill given by Praveen Chakravarty was declined by the Chair as, according to his ruling, it did not fall within the rules of procedure.
Opposition members continued raising slogans, including on the Ram Temple issue, and demanded the presence of the Home Minister. However, the House continued with discussion on the Bill.
Earlier, ministers laid various papers on the Table. Bhupendra Singh represented the Ministry of Culture; Dr Jitendra Singh handled Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions; Dr L. Murugan, on behalf of Arjun Ram Meghwal, looked after Law and Justice; Jayant Chaudhary dealt with Education; Dr Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani represented Communications; Shobha Karandlaje spoke for Labour and Employment; Dr L. Murugan, on behalf of Kirti Vardhan Singh, handled Environment, Forest and Climate Change; and Sukanta Majumdar represented the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region.
Shripad Yesso Naik laid a CAG report on capacity expansion of hydro CPSEs.
Statements on the status of implementation of various parliamentary committee reports pertaining to MSME, DoPT, Information and Broadcasting, and the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region were also made.
