New Delhi, Feb 5 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi's quip about Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge's age -- suggesting the 83-year-old Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha be allowed to raise slogans while seated -- set the tone for a stormy afternoon in Parliament.
Delivered with characteristic sharpness, the remark drew immediate fire from opposition benches, who were already engaged in sloganeering in the Upper House.
They interpreted it as a jibe at Kharge's seniority and physical condition.
What followed was a crescendo of protests that turned the Upper House into a theatre of slogans and interruptions.
The Rajya Sabha descended into chaos on Thursday as PM Modi rose to reply to the Motion of Thanks on the President's address.
Members of the Congress and INDIA bloc erupted in coordinated sloganeering, chanting "Tanashahi nahi, Indira ji ka apmaan nahi sahenge" and "Leader of the Opposition ko bolne do", demanding that Rahul Gandhi be allowed to speak without curbs in the Lok Sabha.
The protest was not merely procedural -- it was a continuation of tensions from Wednesday, when Rahul Gandhi's speech was repeatedly disrupted in Lok Sabha over references to an unpublished memoir by former Army Chief General M.M. Naravane, touching on the 2020 India-China border standoff.
Later, the members of the Opposition staged a walkout.
Opposition MPs accused the Union government of muzzling debate on national security and disrespecting tall leaders like former Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi.
Treasury benches, meanwhile, held firm that Rahul Gandhi's citations breached the House rules and risked undermining institutional morale.
Amid the din, PM Modi addressed Vice-President and Rajya Sabha Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan, pressing on with his speech despite the vocal resistance.
His remarks focused on the Union government's achievements and responses to the President's address, but the atmosphere remained charged.
Earlier, Leader of the Upper House JP Nadda had already stoked tensions by branding Opposition's conduct as immature, setting the stage for the combative exchanges that followed.
--IANS
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