New Delhi: Congress president and Rajya Sabha MP Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday (July 2) rebuked Vice President and Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar for bringing in the “varna system” and attempting after the latter suggested that fellow Congress MP Jairam Ramesh should replace Kharge as the Leader of Opposition in the House.
During the debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address in the Rajya Sabha, Dhankhar stopped Congress MP Pramod Tiwari’s speech and said certain words would be removed.
“Please reflect on what you are saying, Pramod ji and how wrong it is. It will not go on record. If you have proof, fact..,” said Dhankhar.
Congress MP Jairam Ramesh could then be heard saying, “He will authenticate it.”
Dhankhar then told Ramesh that he should replace Kharge as the Leader of Opposition.
“I think..Jairam Ramesh you are so gifted, so intelligent, so talented I think you should immediately come and take the seat of Mr Kharge. Because by and large you are doing his job,” he said.
Kharge immediately stood up and said that Dhankhar was bringing in the varna system by suggesting that a Dalit be replaced.
“Don’t bring that varna system (here). Still in your mind that varna system is there. That’s why you are calling Ramesh very intelligent, and I am dull so I should be replaced,” he said.
As opposition members then started chanting “shame”, Dhankhar accused Kharge of disrespecting the Chair in a manner that has never been done before in the “history of parliamentary proceedings”.
“Khargeji you did not understand what I said. The amount of respect I have for you, if you have even a fraction of that then you will understand. I said that when a person like you with 56 years of experience is already sitting in the front row, but Jairam Ramesh wants to make comments and make attempts to help you. You can see even now. There is a problem that I wanted you to solve,” he said.
“The person who has made me is sitting here,” retorted Kharge pointing to Sonia Gandhi who was sitting next to him.
“Neither can you make me, nor Ramesh make me, the people of this country have made me who I am,” he said.
Dhankhar said that Kharge had “twisted” what he had said while he was trying to save his image.
“I don’t want to stoop to that level. Listen to what I am saying carefully. You cannot every time rundown the chair, show disrespect to the chair. You suddenly stand up and say anything you want and don’t try to understand what I say. Never in the history of this country, in the history of Parliamentary democracy and Rajya Sabha proceedings, has there been such disregard of the Chair as from you,” he said.
“You take it in a manner which is wrong. Time for you to reflect. I raised an issue. How did you twist it? I also feel pained..There have been many times that I have tried to save your image and you are insulting me?”
On Monday too Kharge and Dhankhar had exchanged heated words during his reply to the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address.
Kharge’s remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological parent of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were subsequently expunged by Dhankhar.
Dhankar then went on to say, “You are saying a particular person is a member of the RSS. Is that in itself a crime? The RSS is an organisation working for the nation. They have a lot of intelligent people.”
