'Ground reality, facts': Congress leader Rahul Gandhi writes to Lok Sabha Speaker over expunged remarks

Rahul Gandhi argued that the expunged portions, which he described as reflecting "ground reality and the factual position," did not warrant expunction under the rules governing parliamentary proceedings.

Following the expungement of segments of his recent Lok Sabha address, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday (July 2) penned a letter to Speaker Om Birla asserting that the expunged remarks did not fall under the purview of Rule 380 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha.

In his letter, Gandhi expressed shock at the removal of a significant portion of his speech during the Motion of Thanks on the President's Address on July 1, 2024. He argued that the expunged portions, which he described as reflecting "ground reality and the factual position," did not warrant expunction under the rules governing parliamentary proceedings.

Enclosed with the letter were relevant excerpts from the uncorrected debates of the Lok Sabha dated July 2. Gandhi highlighted that every member of the House has the constitutional right to freedom of speech, as enshrined in Article 105(1) of the Constitution of India, to voice the concerns of their constituents on the parliamentary floor.

The Congress leader criticized what he termed as the selective nature of expungement, contrasting it with the treatment of remarks made by other members during the same session. He pointed out that while his substantive remarks were expunged, similar expunction was not applied uniformly to other speeches containing allegations.

Gandhi concluded the letter by urging Speaker Om Birla to reconsider the expungement decision and restore the remarks in question to the parliamentary records. He emphasized that expunging his considered remarks contradicts the principles of parliamentary democracy and undermines the role of elected representatives in voicing public concerns.