135 Crore People Laughing At US – Vice President 

Congress President and Rajya Sabha MP Mallikarjuna Kharge’s ‘Dog’ remark has created huge furore in Rajya Sabha as BJP MPs demanded unconditional apology whereas the Congress declined BJP’s demand.

Earlier, Kharge had made controversial comments during the Bharat Jodo Yatra public meeting on Monday in Rajasthan’s Alwar. “Has even your dog died for India?” Kharge made these comments when the discussion on India-China border dispute was not allowed in Parliament. Kharge questioned the intent of the Centre on resolving the India-China border issue.

The Upper House on Tuesday witnessed huge ruckus over Kharge’s comments. This resulted in the war of words between Congress and BJP MPs in the house. Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar made critical comments on the behaviour of MPs in Parliament. He stood up in the house and reminded everyone that “we are not children” following chaos in the house over Kharge’s comments. Mr Jagdeep Dhankar commented that “135 Crore Indians are laughing at us. They are thinking, wondering — what level have we fallen to.”

“This kind of display of conduct and behaviour gives us a very, very bad name,” Mr Dhankhar said. “We are setting a very bad example. People outside are disillusioned,” he added. “Something may have been said outside the House in a moment of emotion,” Mr Dhankhar, a lawyer by training, said in his discipline lesson to the MPs in Rajya Sabha.

However, BJP MPs demand apology from Kharge stating that such “insensitive” comments wouldn’t be spared even if it is outside the house. Rejecting demands for an apology, Mr Kharge said he had made the comment outside the House, so it could not be discussed in Parliament. Further defending his argument, he claimed, “Those who fought for the country’s independence — you are asking them to apologise?”