'Govt Can Expunge As Much As It Wants...': Rahul Gandhi Defends Fiery Speech, Writes To LS Speaker

Rahul Gandhi, Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, has backed his fiery Parliament speech and asserted that what he said in the House was nothing but the truth, even as he faced massive backlash from ministers in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government who accused him of spreading lies and insulting Hindus.

“Truth can be expunged in [Prime Minister Narendra] Modiji’s world, but not in reality,” he said on Tuesday outside Parliament, a day after his controversial speech in the Lower House that touched upon issues from NEET to Agniveer and MSP for farmers. A comment by him about Hindus drew the objection of PM Modi himself. Parts of Gandhi’s speech were expunged late on Monday night.

“I said what I had to say, that is the truth. They can expunge as much as they want. Truth is truth,” Gandhi said on Tuesday.

#WATCH | On portions of his speech expunged, Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi says, “In Modi ji’s world, truth can be expunged. But in reality, the truth can’t be expunged. I said what I had to say, that is the truth. They can expunge as much as they want. Truth is truth.” pic.twitter.com/AcR3xRN6d5

Rahul Gandhi’s statement comes after parts of his speech in Parliament which mentioned that Agniveer was a PMO scheme were expunged.

Gandhi also wrote to the Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla over the expunction parts of his speech and urged the restoration of the remarks. “Shocked to note the manner in which considerable portion of my speech has been simply taken off from the proceedings under the garb of expunction,” stated Gandhi in the letter to the LS Speaker.

“Taking off from records my considered remarks goes against the very tenets of parliamentary democracy,” read the letter.

Defending Rahul’s speech, SP MP Awadhesh Prasad said, “He had no ill intent towards Hindus.” However, Prasad maintained that it is in the right of the Speaker to expunge the statements which are not in accordance with the Constitution.

Meanwhile, Union Minister Chirag Paswan slammed the comments made by LoP Rahul Gandhi and said his whole speech should be expunged.

“The mention of various religions in the Parliament by him (Rahul Gandhi) has hurt the majority of the population of the country. There was a lot of information given on the table of the House which was not correct and personal remarks were made on Prime Minister,” Paswan said outside the Parliament.

LoP in his speech in Lok Sabha on Monday accused the BJP of launching “systematic attacks” on the Constitution and the fundamental concept of India, noting that millions of people have resisted the ideas proposed by the ruling party.

“I was attacked on the orders of Prime Minister Modi and the government. There were 20-plus cases (against me), a two-year jail sentence, (my) house was taken away, (I was subjected to) 55 hours of interrogation by the ED,” he said.

As Gandhi held up a picture of Lord Shiva, Speaker Om Birla reminded him that rules do not allow displaying placards in the House.

Gandhi also criticised the Agnipath scheme for short-term military recruitment and said that the government does not even give them the status of a “shaheed” (martyr) and that no compensation is extended to their families if they are killed in action.