NEW DELHI: The Rajya Sabha on Thursday witnessed an uproar by the ruling benches over Opposition leader Mallikarjun Kharge’s remarks on Manusmriti remarks during a debate on the anti-paper leak bill that was passed by the Lok Sabha a day earlier with a voice vote.
The Opposition members staged a walkout in the House while leader of House JP Nadda asserted that the opposition had no agenda and did not want a discussion while the government remained ready to debatge all subjects.
The disruption started after the House assembled following the laying of papers, reports and ministers’ statements.
Meanwhile,Rajya Sabha passed the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which seeks to make any obstruction or insult to the national song ‘Vande Mataram’ a criminal offence during the Monsoon Session of Parliament.
The monsoon session of Parliament began on July 20 and is expected to continue till August 13.
Kharge asked how many innocent people are hit by the paper leaks and how many parents are worried. He said the government has increased punishment and penalties and talked about setting up a special fast track court. He said this is not going to be of any use.
He said the Congress had demanded a strict law in 2024, but the government ignored the request.
“We were raising the issue of students’ futures, but if you did, you wouldn’t get credit, so you abandoned it.Now you have hastily introduced this new proposed law,” Kharge added.
Minister of state Jitendra Singh, who introduced the Bill, said the Congress took 33 years not to bring a National Testing Agency. He said investigations will be completed in two months and the entire legal process will be completed in five months.
Meanwhile, the Opposition MPs, including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, protested in the Parliament House complex on Thursday against alleged police excesses against student protesters and theft of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
The MPs protested in front of Makar Dwar of Parliament. Slogans such as ‘chadhawa chor, gaddi chor’, ‘grih mantri sadan mein aao’ and ‘who gave the order’ were raised by the lawmakers.
The MPs also kept a donation box with them and they were seen putting money inside it to symbolise the alleged theft of donations at the Ram temple.
Besides Priyanka Gandhi, SP’s Dharmendra Yadav, TMC’s Sagarika Ghose, JMM’s Mahua Maji, among others, participated in the protest.
Congress MP Randeep Singh Surjewala has given Suspension of Business Notice in Rajya Sabha under rule 267 to discuss “the issue of theft of donations, looting of offerings, and embezzlement regarding the Shri Ram Mandir…”
