New Delhi, April 1 – The Rajya Sabha witnessed a heated exchange between Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday. Rijiju accused the opposition of politicizing the West Asia crisis at a time when the country should be united.
Kharge questioned why the government was not holding a discussion on the crisis in Parliament and criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not attending the all-party meeting on the issue.
Rijiju responded by accusing Kharge of undermining the dignity of his office by making "irresponsible" statements and "abusing" the prime minister.
He stated that no Leader of the Opposition (LoP) attended the all-party meeting, adding that it was unfortunate that the opposition was "playing politics" over the issue.
Kharge condemned Rijiju's remarks and demanded that he retract them. He also accused the minister of being "a dummy," alleging that he had no real power.
"Should we attend to listen to your lecture? What authority do you have? You are all dummy ministers. You don't have power. I condemn such a statement," Kharge said.
Rijiju stated that the LoP should uphold the dignity of his position while making statements. "He does not uphold the dignity of his position. He himself gives irresponsible statements. Their LoP in the Lok Sabha is also like that," Rijiju alleged.
Earlier, after Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan announced the start of the Question Hour, Rijiju urged the House to sit late into the evening to discuss the government's agenda for the day.
The Chairman announced that the House would forgo lunch and continue until late in the evening to clear the government's legislative business, including the Central Armed Police Forces (General Administration) Bill 2026 and the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Bill, 2026.
The government had also listed a statutory resolution for levying Special Additional Excise Duty on Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) at a rate of Rs 50 per litre.
Rijiju said the BJP was ready to sacrifice some of the remaining time allocated to it on the CAPF Bill. "I will not ask other members to sacrifice their time, but we will sacrifice our time as some of our members will speak for a shorter period. If necessary, we can sit after 6 PM," he said.
Reacting to this, Kharge accused the government of forcing its agenda while ignoring the opposition's concerns. "They bring bills whenever they want. They are always ready for a discussion and can announce a statement at any time."
Kharge stated that he had twice written to the Chairman requesting a short-duration discussion on the West Asia conflict, but no time had been allocated. "The entire world is suffering due to LPG, gas, and other issues, and prices are rising here. But why are they not agreeing to a discussion?"
"Whatever we suggest, they disagree, and whatever they want, they put (on the agenda) and declare it forcefully through a vote. What is this? Is this democracy?" he asked.
Addressing the Chairman, Kharge said, "We thought that after you came, the opposition would get more justice."
The Chairman countered Kharge, saying, "You are getting more time than the treasury benches; I will give you the data."
Rijiju then stated that many members had raised the West Asia issue in the business advisory committee meeting, where it was stated that the government was not avoiding a discussion.
"What the Leader of the Opposition is saying is not true. Firstly, the concerned ministers made their statements in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. Then the Prime Minister made a detailed statement in Parliament."
"There is a problem here. They want to speak what they want, but they don't want to listen. It is the opposite happening here. They accuse us but don't listen to the government," the Parliamentary Affairs minister said.
He stated that when an all-party meeting on the West Asia crisis was convened, none of the leaders of the opposition from both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha attended, even though Congress members and those from other opposition parties were present.
During the discussion on the finance bill, he said, opposition members only spoke about LPG, petrol, and diesel. He said the finance minister gave a detailed reply, and the prime minister had a detailed discussion with state chief ministers via video conferencing.
He said the finance minister had informed both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha about the steps taken to address the crisis and control prices, as prices had skyrocketed globally, while they had remained stable in India.
Rijiju said that despite handling the situation so well, the opposition was playing politics on the issue.
"Is this an issue to play politics on? There is a crisis in our neighborhood from where petrol and gas are supplied. The war is not happening because of us. In such a crisis, the opposition is playing politics. It is so unfortunate. This is the time for the entire country to stand united. This is not the time for playing politics," Rijiju said.
Countering Rijiju, Kharge said, "Where was your prime minister? Where was he? You were there as the government representative; I had also sent our representative. Your prime minister was not there. Should we attend to listen to your lecture? What authority do you have...."
Rijiju responded that they had always respected the LoP.
"They only indulge in abusing the prime minister, both inside and outside the Parliament, day in and day out. We consider the leader of opposition as senior and think he would talk responsibly while upholding the dignity of the position he holds.
"He does not uphold the dignity of his position. He himself gives irresponsible statements. Their LoP in the Lok Sabha is also like that," the minister alleged.
The Chairman then announced that the Question Hour would be taken up.