Truth can be expunged in Narendra Modi's world, says Rahul Gandhi

A defiant Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday, 2 July, said truth can be expunged in the world of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but not in reality, hours after significant parts of his Lok Sabha speech were deleted by the chair.

"Whatever I had to say, I have said and that is the truth. They can expunge as much as they want, but the truth will prevail," Rahul Gandhi told reporters in Parliament complex.

The Congress leader was responding to questions on certain remarks he made during the discussion on the Motion of Thanks on the president's address in the Lok Sabha on Monday.

"Truth can be expunged in the world of Modi ji, but in reality truth cannot be expunged," Rahul Gandhi said.

In his first speech as the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi had launched a no-holds-barred attack on the BJP, accusing the leaders of the ruling party of dividing people on communal lines.

The Congress leader further emphasised that all religions talk about courage, citing Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism to underline the importance of fearlessness.

Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla over portions of his speech in the House having been expunged, saying that removing his considered remarks from records goes against the very tenets of parliamentary democracy and that they should be restored.

In his letter to Birla, Gandhi also cited BJP MP Anurag Thakur's speech, saying that it was full of allegations but surprisingly only one word was expunged from it. He said "this selective expunction defies logic".

In his letter to Birla, Gandhi said while the Chair derives powers to expunge certain remarks from the proceedings of the House but the stipulation is only those kinds of words, the nature of which have been specified in Rule 380 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha.

"I am, however, shocked to note the manner in which considerable portions of my speech have been simply taken off from the proceedings under the garb of expunction," the former Congress chief said.