“Truth can't be expunged…”: Rahul Gandhi Stands by his Lok Sabha Speech Despite Backlash

Rahul Gandhi, Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday asserted that the statements made in his maiden speech in the House were grounded in truth, even as they drew sharp criticism from ministers in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government. This comes as certain parts of the LoP’s speech were expunged from his speech made during the Motion of Thanks on the President’s address.

"In Modi ji's world, truth can be expunged. But in reality, the truth can't be expunged. I said what I had to say, that is the truth. They can expunge as much as they want. Truth is truth,” said the Rae Bareli MP.

In his inaugural address as Leader of the Opposition, Gandhi accused ruling party leaders of stoking communal divisions. Prime Minister Narendra Modi rebuked Gandhi for allegedly labeling the entire Hindu community as violent during a debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President's address.

In response to the backlash, Gandhi reiterated, "It is not just one religion that talks about courage. In fact, all our religions talk about courage." As tensions escalated in the Lok Sabha, Gandhi accused the BJP of deviating from true Hinduism, stating, "You are not Hindus. Hinduism teaches standing with truth, not backing away from it or fearing it."

Quoting Prophet Muhammad to emphasize themes of fearlessness from the Quran, Gandhi brandished images of Lord Shiva, Guru Nanak, and Jesus Christ to underscore the universal importance of courage across religions. His remarks, however, led to uproar among BJP members, resulting in portions of his speech being expunged by the Chair.

Key expunged statements included Gandhi's allegations that the BJP mistreats minorities, criticisms of industrialists Adani and Ambani, and his claim that the NEET exam discriminates against meritorious students. Prime Minister Modi intervened twice during Gandhi's hour-and-forty-minute speech, with Home Minister Amit Shah demanding an apology.

The session also saw portions of Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge's speech, expunged for controversial remarks accusing PM Modi of societal division and misinformation. Words such as 'Satyanash' (annihilate), 'Ghamand' (arrogance), and 'Mujra' (a dance performance) were expunged from Kharge's records.