Rajya Sabha stalled by protests against SP MP’s expunged remarks on Rajput warrior

Rajya Sabha proceedings were interrupted on Friday morning by protests over Samajwadi Party MP Ramji Lal Suman’s now expunged remarks on 16th century Rajput king Rana Sanga. The BJP demanded an unqualified apology from him, while the Opposition walked out in protest over an attack on Mr. Suman’s home by the Karni Sena, a Rajput group. Amidst this war of words, the House was adjourned for half an hour.

Mr. Suman had called Sanga a ‘traitor’ in recent remarks in the Rajya Sabha. In protest, Karni Sena workers vandalised his residence in Agra on Wednesday.

Expunged but still on social media

As the Opposition and treasury benches traded blame, Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar reflected on the peculiar problem facing the Parliament in the age of social media. He underlined that Mr. Suman’s “outrageous” remarks had been expunged. “The problem is that whatever we expunge is expunged in our record but the social media gives traction to it,” he said.

There was a time, he said, when a remark was expunged and it remained so, but this has changed with the speed of electronic messaging. “That being the situation, expunction in the House does not have practical meaning, it has only meaning for repository of records,” he said. He has urged the Rajya Sabha’s ethics committee to come up with a code of conduct so that the members exert care and sensitivity in what they say in the house, he noted. 

War of words

As soon as the House sat on Friday morning, the treasury benches started protesting. Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar pleaded for order in the House, saying that the sentiments of the people are very precious, just as the dignity of a member of the House and his security are important.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju criticised the language used by Mr. Suman about the Rajput hero, and urged the Congress, in its position as the leading party in the Opposition INDIA bloc, to condemn the statement. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge responded, saying that the Opposition respects all patriots who fought for the country and does not condone insults against anyone. “But it does not mean that law and order should be taken into their own hands,” Mr. Kharge said.

During the war of words, Mr. Suman got up to speak, which provoked the treasury benches to stand up and collect in the aisles. The chairman then adjourned the House for half an hour. 

Shortly after the House reassembled at noon for the Question Hour, Mr. Suman again stood up, requesting an opportunity to speak. Several Opposition members, including Mr. Kharge, the DMK’s Tiruchi Siva, and the Aam Aadmi Party’s Sanjay Singh, were on their feet, supporting his request. But when Mr. Suman was not allowed to speak, the Opposition parties staged a walkout from the House, which then resumed the Question Hour.