Uproar by Congress in RS on comment on Nehru, Rajiv Gandhi

The House disrupted for half an hour and the proceeding of the House resumed only after Rao withdrew his statement.

During the discussion on the motion of thanks on President Address, Rao passed some comments on the former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and BR Ambedkar.

Soon he also said something about late Rajiv Gandhi in connection with the 1984 Sikh riot. He also said that he has commented on the basis of historical facts.

Protesting Rao’s remarks, the Congress members came into the well and started shouting slogans and demanded the withdrawal of his statement and his apology.

The Deputy Chairman Harivansh tried his level best to restore peace in the house but the Congress members were not ready to relent.

“Any comment which is not in accordance with Rajya Sabha rule-book, will be expunged," Harivansh said.

But this was not enough to calm down Congress members who kept on insisting that Rao should apologise.

Speaking on the matter, Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said that it is not possible for the ruling party to play the role in both treasury and opposition bench.

“The ruling party must have the capacity to bear the allegation from the opposition,” Azad said.

Azad said Jawaharlal Nehru was a freedom fighter and Gandhi sacrificed his life for the nation.

"The former Prime Ministers cannot be humiliated in the House this way. We have assured the House in the beginning that we will cooperate in the functioning of the house but if the ruling party is not interested in the House functioning, we cannot help,” Leader of Opposition said.

Meanwhile sensing the mood of the opposition, the Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Jawrekar and Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan convinced GVL Narasimha to withdraw his statement.

After that Rao withdrew his statement and said that he had no intention malign the image of any Prime Minister.