Sparks Fly in Rajya Sabha Over 'Varna' Remark

The Rajya Sabha saw a heated exchange as Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar's remarks about Jairam Ramesh sparked a reaction from Mallikarjun Kharge, who accused Dhankhar of invoking the caste system. Dhankhar refuted the allegations, while Kharge credited his political standing to Sonia Gandhi and the nation.

The Rajya Sabha witnessed a fiery confrontation on Tuesday when Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar made a sarcastic remark suggesting Jairam Ramesh take over the seat of Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge. The comment was intended to discipline the Congress MP.

Kharge, also the Congress president, responded sharply, accusing Dhankhar of attempting to introduce the 'Varna' (caste) system into the proceedings.

The controversy ignited when Dhankhar instructed Congress's Pramod Tiwari not to present unverified facts, prompting Ramesh to promise authentication. Dhankhar's ensuing comments praising Ramesh's intelligence over Kharge's leadership spurred Kharge's retort, alleging casteist undertones.

An exasperated Dhankhar accused Kharge of distorting his comments and emphasized that his intentions were misconstrued. 'Never in the history of parliamentary democracy and Rajya Sabha proceedings has there been such a disregard of the chair,' he asserted.

In a show of loyalty, Kharge later credited his current position to Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and the people of the country. The session continued with Pramod Tiwari's address on the Motion of Thanks to the president for her parliamentary speech.

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