A fiery debate over the National Education Policy (NEP) in the Rajya Sabha took an unexpected turn. This comes after the Congress President and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge’s remarks led to a major uproar in the house.
Following his remarks the BJP MPs objected to a term used by Kharge. The BJP claimed that the term was derogatory towards the Chair. However, the Congress chief later clarified that his statement was towards the government policies, and not against the chairperson. All this followed after Monday’s debate over delimitation and the ‘imposition’ of Hindi between the Centre and DMK.
What did Kharge Say?
During the session, Kharge stated that the opposition was fully prepared to hold the BJP government accountable. Kharge went on to say, “Hum poori tayyari se aaye hain aur aapko kya kya thokna hai thik se thokenge, sarkar ko bhi thokenge (We have come fully prepared. The opposition will corner the government)”. But what caused trouble was a Hindi phrase he used that led to strong objections from BJP leaders.
JP Nadda Demands Apology
The Leader of the House JP Nadda called the remark “unpardonable” and demanded an apology. Furthermore, Nadda insisted that the term should be removed from parliamentary records. He said, “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.”
Kharge Apologises
Responding to the controversy, Kharge issued an immediate apology, saying, “I am sorry. I apologise to you [Deputy Chairman], I have not used these words for you. I was not speaking about you, I have said that ‘hum sarkar ki policies ko thokenge’. I apologise to you and not to the government. I am sorry if you were hurt by my remarks. I apologise.” The term was later expunged from the Rajya Sabha records.
Pradhan’s Remarks on Tamil Nadu
Meanwhile, the debate over the NEP also saw tensions between the Centre and Tamil Nadu’s ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). The controversy erupted after remarks made by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. He allegedly accused Tamil Nadu of being “dishonest” in its opposition to the three-language formula under NEP.
Pradhan while replying to a question on the PM SHRI scheme said, “The Tamil Nadu government had initially agreed to sign the MoU. But now they have changed the stand. Many non-BJP-ruled states, including Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh, have signed the agreement. They are dishonest and they are ruining the future of the students of Tamil Nadu. They are doing politics”.
Criticising Pradhan’s remark, Kharge in a post on X, 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.”
MK Stalin Slams Pradhan
Joining the Fray, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin slammed Pradhan’s remarks, calling them “arrogant” and accusing him of “thinking of himself like a king.” The statement led to protests from DMK MPs both inside and outside Parliament. Senior DMK leader K Kanimozhi later submitted a privilege motion against Pradhan.
