Videos of expunged proceedings should not be shared on social media: Rajya Sabha Chair
Soon after the House met post-lunch, and the Mines and Minerals Amendment Bill was tabled, Radha Mohan Das Agrawal of the BJP raised the issue of the Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge sharing videos of his expunged speech on social media. He said while Mr. Kharge raises the issue of SIR, the Chair disallows the same.
However, the extracts of his speech are shared on social media, even after the Chair has clearly stated that the same will not go on record of the House.
The Upper House, which has witnessed repeated adjournments in the Monsoon Session as Opposition has demanded a debate on the SIR issue calling it a threat to democracy, while the Government has maintained that the "sub-judice" matter can't be discussed, saw the two sides locking horns once again on Tuesday.
The House saw the first adjournment soon after meeting at 11 a.m., and was adjourned till 2 p.m. over the SIR issue.
When the House met post-lunch, the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2025 was taken up, even as Opposition MPs raised slogans demanding a debate on SIR.
Leader of Opposition Kharge was allowed to speak by Chair Ghanshyam Tiwari who also cautioned that the Congress leader should not raise any sub-judice matter.
Mr. Kharge once again tried to raise the demand for debate on SIR, but the Chair said it would not go on record as it is not related to the business.
Minister of Coal and Mines G. Kishan Reddy, and Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs L Murugan said the government is ready to answer any questions related to the Bill.
Opposition MPs staged a walkout from the House as the Minister was moving the Bill.
Soon after the Minister tabled the Bill, BJP MP Agrawal raised a point of order, and said videos of proceedings, which included the portions which were not on record, were being circulated on social media.
"I have been noticing whenever a debate starts, LoP stands, you give permission to speak on Bill, he goes straight to SIR. You give instruction that it will not go on record. But then we see that the video of his speech is shared on social media..." he said.
"How can the video be posted on social media when it has been expunged in writing, is it not a breach of privilege?" he said.
Mr. Tiwari, who was in the Chair, then said that anything which has been expunged should not be shared on social media.
"Arrangements should be made so that anything that is not a part of the House proceedings should not go on social media through Sansad TV, or any other medium..." he said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
5 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Election Commission's SIR in Bihar: A spectre of exclusion
The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) initiated by the Election Commission (EC) in June 2025 has resulted in the exclusion of 6.5 million voters from the electoral rolls in Bihar, where Assembly elections are due in November. Article 326 of the Constitution says that elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies 'shall be on the basis of adult suffrage, that is to say, every person who is a Citizen of India and who is not less than eighteen years of age' shall be entitled to be registered as a voter unless disqualified under the Constitution or the law on the grounds of 'non-residence, unsoundness of mind, crime or corrupt or illegal practice'. In effect, millions of citizens have overnight become non-citizens, contrary to the Constitution and the law. What an irony, considering that B R Ambedkar declared, 'Franchise is the most fundamental thing in a democracy,' and the exclusion of any person entitled to be on the electoral rolls 'merely as a result of the prejudice of a local government, or the whim of an officer… would cut at the very root of democratic government'. According to Ambedkar, the Central Election Commission would ensure the preparation and revision of electoral rolls in ways 'so that no injustice may be done to any citizen in India'. While debating the new Article 324 (old 289), Ambedkar said, 'the House affirmed without any kind of dissent that in the interests of purity and freedom of elections to the legislative bodies, it was of the utmost importance that they should be freed from any kind of interference from the executive'. Over the last decade, there has been continuous interference by the Modi government in the functioning of constitutional bodies, directly or indirectly raising serious questions about their independence. Even in June 1949, in the Constituent Assembly (CA) debate, Ambedkar said, 'It has been brought to the notice both of the Drafting Committee as well as the Central Government that in… provinces, the executive… is instructing or managing things in such a manner that those people who do not belong to them either racially, culturally or linguistically, are being excluded from… the electoral rolls.' In 2025, such an exclusion is a reality, confirming Ambedkar's fears. Shibban Lal Saxena had serious doubts about the independence of the EC and argued that persons appointed to it must enjoy the confidence of 'all parties'. K M Munshi warned, 'Corrupt practices do not necessarily apply to the candidates. There may be corrupt practices by the government of the day.' Alladi Krishnaswamy Ayyar noted on November 8, 1948 that the boldest step taken by the CA was in the matter of 'universal adult suffrage with a belief in the common man and in his power to shape the future of the country'. The role of the Opposition was also discussed extensively in the CA. Z H Lari said, '…it is not in our interest but in the interests of Democracy that there should be proper opposition which is constructive and charged with a duty to the country.' Naziruddin Ahmad even said, 'Sir, opposition in a democratic house is a great necessity… if we cannot ensure any opposition, we should rather call the Constitution that of an 'undemocratic, sovereign republic'.' He feared that, 'As soon as some criticism is made, some members of the majority party get impatient. As soon as arguments are advanced, the so-called prestige of the government is supposed to be at stake, and therefore those arguments are opposed, resented, and sometimes treated with indifference and contempt.' Do we not see this behaviour by the ruling party today, inside and outside Parliament? Ambedkar said on December 17, 1948, 'that in our view democracy does not mean a police state, where a secret police can arrest or liquidate people without trial. It does not mean a totalitarian state where one party can seize power and keep opposition parties suppressed and not give them freedom to function freely and with equal facilities. It can not mean a society or state where an individual is made a robot or where they are reduced to a small screw in the big machine of the state'. The current functioning of central investigating agencies, the repeated and unchecked 'encounters' of citizens, and the gross and open abuse of state machinery and state media are all directed to promote the objectives of the party in power. This scenario tells us just how right Ambedkar was. Even Syama Prasad Mookerjee supported and echoed Ambedkar on that day: 'We shall go ahead with our work in spite of all difficulties and obstacles and help to create that great India united and strong, which will be the motherland of not this community or that, not this class or that, but of every person… inhibiting this great land irrespective of race, caste, creed or community where everyone will have an equal opportunity, an equal freedom, an equal status.' The Supreme Court has even held that the Election Commission is not 'imperium in imperio' under the Constitution. The philosophy, ideology, spirit and morality behind the Constitution of India can only be understood from these debates. The nation, its people, the executive, the ruling and Opposition parties, the EC and the constitutional courts must all strive to defend these ideals fiercely. A failure to do so will reduce this great nation to a dictatorship. The writer is former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association
Indian Express
5 minutes ago
- Indian Express
MP LoP Umang Singhar says ‘vote chori' in 27 Assembly seats, BJP hits back
MADHYA PRADESH Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar on Tuesday alleged widespread irregularities in the state's voter registration process, saying 'votes were stolen' in more than 27 seats in the 2023 Assembly elections and the ruling BJP was given 'unethical benefit'. At a press conference in Bhopal, Singhar presented his own data to show that voter registrations increased by only 4.64 lakh over seven months from January to August, but then surged dramatically by 16.05 lakh between August and October, effectively adding 26,000 new voters daily during that period. 'Vote theft took place in more than 27 Assembly seats in the state and this was done to give unethical benefit to the BJP,' he said. The State Election Commission has not yet responded to Singhar's claims. The poll panel refused to comment on the allegations when contacted by The Indian Express. Reacting to the allegations, State minister and BJP leader Vishwas Sarang said whether it is Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi or state LoP Singhar, 'Congress leaders are misleading the country with baseless allegations without facts or data'. 'Why has Congress suddenly woken up from its deep slumber 20 months after the Assembly elections,' Sarang asked. 'How many complaints they filed regarding the 27 constituencies they are now citing. Do they have any receipts of complaints filed with the (Election) Commission? If irregularities existed in those 27 seats, why didn't they register objections?' In the 2023 Assembly polls, the Congress was hoping to return to power on the wave of anti-incumbency. However, the BJP got a landslide majority after it won 163 seats, while the Congress managed to win only 66. Since the defeat, several Congress leaders, including former chief minister Digvijaya Singh, have blamed irregularities and EVM manipulation for the BJP win. Singhar pointed to a June 9, 2023 Election Commission directive instructing Chief Electoral Officers in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Rajasthan and Telangana not to publish voter list modifications made between January and June 2023. The letter issued by EC under secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh stated, 'The publication of updated electoral roll w.r.t. 1st July, 2023 as the qualifying date in the five poll going states shall not be done, so that pre-revision activities like rationalization of polling station etc. can be carried out before the publication of integrated draft electoral roll w.r.t. 01.10.2023.'
Indian Express
5 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Bihar polls: NDA forms 14 teams to meet workers in 84 seats for grassroots coordination
With the Assembly elections in Bihar months away, the ruling NDA is focusing on strengthening its grassroots organisation and putting up a united front. The alliance, which is led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of the Janata Dal (United), is set to hold a series of coordination meetings with workers in all 243 Assembly constituencies in Bihar. Sources said over two phases, as many as 84 constituencies will be covered through meetings between August 23 and August 25, and August 28 and August 30. Later, more constituencies will be addressed. As many as 14 teams of leaders from various NDA constituents have been prepared for the task. Seven of these teams are headed by leaders from the JD(U), while the rest are headed by BJP leaders. The seven JD(U)-led teams are headed by party working president Sanjay Kumar Jha, state unit president Umesh Kushwaha, Union minister Ramnath Thakur, and state ministers Vijay Chaudhary, Ashok Chaudhary, Shravan Kumar and Ratnesh Sada. The BJP-led teams are headed by BJP state president Dilip Jaiswal, Deputy CMs Samrat Chaudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, Union ministers Nityanand Rai, Mangal Pandey and Giriraj Singh, and Lok Sabha MP Sanjay Jaiswal. Each team has six members, including from BJP's allies like the Chirag Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Jitan Ram Manjhi-led Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) and Upendra Kushwaha-led Rashtriya Lok Manch. Sources said that over six days, the teams will unitedly address workers in 84 Assembly constituencies on how the NDA campaign is to be taken forward, the organisational and coordination issues, and party workers' feedback. 'We have set a target of winning 225 seats in the Bihar polls. To convert this target into reality, we have been conducting these coordination meetings. Earlier such meetings were organised at the district level. It is now being taken to the constituency level. Leaders from all NDA parties will be there and we will move forward together with the slogan of making Nitish Kumar the CM again. Workers are the most important unit of a party organisation and all leaders will address them to ensure robust coordination. It shows that at a time when the Opposition appears disjointed, the NDA stands united,' said JD(U) spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan Prasad. Earlier in January-February, the NDA had similarly organised meetings at district level to ensure coordination among workers of various NDA constituents. These meetings were addressed by state presidents of all five NDA constituents, among other leaders. Notably, the NDA is yet to finalise its seat sharing for the Bihar polls. A senior BJP leader, however, said an understanding was developing on that front and there was no friction within the NDA over it. 'There are some minor issues that will be sorted out soon. The big picture is clear to everyone that we are fighting as a united force under Nitish Kumar and Narendra Modi,' the leader said. The NDA's campaign will focus on highlighting the achievements of the Nitish Kumar regime over the past 20 years, from maintaining law and order, ushering in development and building infrastructure to increasing representation of women in local governance and various recently announced schemes like free electricity, enhanced pensions and programmes targeting youth unemployment. NDA leaders have also been showcasing various Central and state schemes for the development of Bihar and targeting different sections of its population. The Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme figures prominently in their campaign. The state's Mahila Udyami Yojana, which focuses on extending financial assistance to women entrepreneurs, is also being highlighted.
