A heated exchange erupted in Rajya Sabha over allegations of land grabbing in Karnataka. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge vehemently denied the accusations, challenging, "If even an inch of space, if I take from anyone, I come from that area, sir." He demanded proof and refused to apologise. Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar called for maintaining the dignity of the house and preserving members' reputations.
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00:00Let's cut across live to the Rajya Sabha.
00:30Such allegations made, some papers, living on the table and damaging us.
00:39I am not going to afraid of these things, sir.
00:43I am a son of labourer.
00:47I am a textile labourer, workers union.
00:51I am also a leader of the labourers.
00:57And then I became Block Congress Committee President.
01:01And today I am AICC President.
01:03AICC, long way.
01:06And Deve Gowda ji was with me.
01:09I was with him.
01:11You have made your point.
01:13Sir, no, it hurts me.
01:16If in my life, in the assembly, no one raised their finger and said,
01:23Deve Gowda ji is here.
01:25If once someone said, then the whole house got up and asked for an apology.
01:34Chief Minister came and sat next to me and asked for an apology.
01:38I am such a man.
01:40And for me, if these BJP people want to scare me and make me bow down,
01:46I will never bow down.
01:48I will break.
01:50But I will not bow down.
01:52Remember this.
01:54I am not afraid of being scared.
01:56And if even an inch of space, if I take someone's,
02:01I come from that area, sir.
02:04In that area, in one segment, I get 1,20,000 votes from a Muslim.
02:131,20,000 from one segment.
02:16And you put me here.
02:19And that Thakur.
02:21You speak your mind.
02:23Otherwise.
02:24Yes.
02:28Hey, Anurag Thakur.
02:31I don't know.
02:33Please, sir.
02:34You have made your point.
02:35No, no.
02:36This is.
02:37Sir, I condemn it.
02:39So, I want your protection.
02:42I want your protection.
02:45He should apologize.
02:47On behalf of him, the leader of the house should apologize.
02:51This is my demand.
02:58Honorable members.
03:02Honorable members.
03:03One second.
03:05One second.
03:07You see, when the leader of the opposition,
03:12President of the Congress Party,
03:15has made observations expressing a deep anguish,
03:26I would allow.
03:28You want to say something?
03:30And then I would react from the chair.
03:32Chairman, sir.
03:33We heard the anguish and the words expressed by the Honorable Leader of the Opposition.
03:41I have stated earlier also, as a colleague, we must have high regard for each other.
03:48And Malika Arjun Khargeji.
03:50What is this?
03:52You speak.
03:54Honorable members.
03:55One second.
03:56Honorable members.
03:57Honorable members.
04:00You speak on behalf of me.
04:02You speak.
04:03Honorable members.
04:05Let him speak.
04:07A little while ago.
04:08He has to make this kind of comment.
04:11One second.
04:12One second.
04:13A little while ago, I had the occasion to pay salutations to this August House.
04:22Because it was on this day we came into being.
04:29The Leader of the Opposition was heard in rapt attention.
04:33Let the other point of view come.
04:35And then there is a chair to take a call on this.
04:39Let me take the call.
04:40Please.
04:41I will speak in this manner.
04:43Please.
04:44Please.
04:45Please.
04:46You want to say something?
04:50Honorable members.
04:53Honorable members.
04:58If we examine the issue critically, it boils down to certain situations.
05:06A situation...
05:09Please.
05:11Honorable members, we are discussing a serious issue.
05:15Take your seat.
05:18It raises two very important issues.
05:22One issue is that a member of Parliament uses the great privilege of being a member of the
05:32House, which is a constitutional protection.
05:36Because anything said by a member in the House, there is no civil recourse and no criminal
05:44action can be initiated.
05:46An immunity is granted to a member when the member speaks in the House.
05:52And on a number of occasions I have said that this is not a place for free flow of information.
06:01We cannot damage reputations earned over decades or over half a century.
06:10I have said it on a number of occasions.
06:14Only this week I had expressed my deep anguish, as Khadgeji has expressed, when one of the
06:24members of this House made an observation.
06:28But traction took place, though the member did not go by what was expensed.
06:39And I had indicated to this House that in this electronic age, explosive social media,
06:47anything said gets traction in microseconds.
06:52And therefore, expulsion by chair is hardly a remedy.
06:59We faced a situation, like Khadgeji's reputation, when Rana Sangha became an issue.
07:09But the honourable member took the stand that till his life he will reiterate.
07:16Please, honourable members, it is too serious an issue for either side to be commented.
07:24I then said one thing.
07:26If something is expensed as a respect to this parliamentary institution, no member should
07:34make an issue of it.
07:36But the honourable member continued, he's a very senior member.
07:40We have had all kinds of things being traversed in this House, in the other House, with respect
07:51to very senior people.
07:52Khadgeji is one of the very senior most people.
07:55I don't want to say what has been said with respect to other very senior people holding
08:01constitutional positions, including Prime Minister.
08:04I would therefore urge everyone, whether one is Prime Minister, leader of the House, leader
08:10of the opposition, for me, every member has a precious reputation to preserve.
08:16And therefore...
08:21So, the Rajya Sabha Chairman, Jagdeep Dhankar speaking amid a war of words that's playing out.
08:26Malik Arjun Khadge reacting and objecting strongly to the comment that came in from
08:30Anurag Thakur yesterday, where in the course of the Waqf Bill debate, Anurag Thakur claimed
08:35that Congress leaders have looted land in Karnataka and named Malik Arjun Khadge.
08:41So now, Khadge hitting back at Anurag Thakur has demanded proof and has said there's no
08:46question of him apologising in any way.
08:49Listen in to what Anurag Thakur said.
09:11Anurag Thakur speaking in Hindi.
09:41Anurag Thakur speaking in Hindi.