Opposition walks out of Rajya Sabha over Kharge not being allowed to speak

Opposition members in the Rajya Sabha on Monday staged a walkout, protesting that Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge was not allowed to speak in the House.

The protest broke out during Question Hour when Kharge rose to state that Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi was not permitted to speak on the Motion of Thanks in the Lower House. Kharge sought to flag the issue as a matter of parliamentary propriety.

Chairman C. P. Radhakrishnan disallowed the submission, stating that matters related to proceedings of the Lok Sabha could not be raised in the Rajya Sabha. He further said that “nothing that he says will go on record”, prompting sharp protests from Opposition benches.

Earlier, Kharge had attempted to raise a separate issue concerning Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal making a statement last week on the India–US trade deal outside Parliament while the House was in session.

That submission was also not permitted.

Following the Chair’s refusal, members of Opposition parties rose from their seats and voiced objections, alleging that they were being denied an opportunity to raise substantive concerns. The disruption continued as the Chairman proceeded with Question Hour despite the protests.

After remaining on their feet for several minutes and raising slogans, Opposition members collectively staged a walkout from the House. Parliamentary proceedings continued in their absence.

There was no immediate response from the government to the Opposition’s allegations. The episode added to a series of disruptions in the ongoing session, with repeated confrontations between the Treasury benches and the Opposition over speaking rights and the conduct of proceedings.