Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi's inaugural speech in the new Parliament sparked controversy as portions, including allegations against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party, were censored on Tuesday for breaching legislative rules. The move by the Speaker of the lower house followed Rahul's first speech as the opposition leader in the chamber, marking his initial official role after two decades as a member of the main opposition Congress party.
Segments of the speech, which was broadcast live by TV channels, were excised, including Rahul's criticisms of Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and their purported connections to religious animosity and violence. Rahul also mentioned industrialists Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani in relation to Modi and his administration, which were removed by Speaker Om Birla, according to parliamentary records.
After the speech, federal ministers Ashwini Vaishnaw and Kiren Rijiju informed reporters that they had met with Birla to highlight 'inaccuracies' in Rahul's speech and were assured that their concerns would be reviewed. Under Indian parliamentary rules, the Speaker has the authority to delete or redact words spoken by lawmakers in the chamber that are considered slanderous, indecent, unparliamentary, or undignified, after which they are no longer part of the parliamentary records and cannot be reported by the media.
In response to the Speaker's decision, Rahul stated that 'truth cannot be expunged'. He wrote to Birla requesting the reinstatement of the censored remarks, arguing that they did not violate any rules and reflected the 'ground reality' and 'factual position'. 'Removing my considered remarks from the records undermines the very principles of parliamentary democracy,' he said.
