The Congress and other Opposition parties staged a walkout from the Rajya Sabha on Thursday (February 5, 2026), accusing the government of preventing Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi from speaking during the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address. The protest followed a heated exchange between the Treasury and Opposition benches.
PM ‘hiding behind’ Speaker; claims of threat an ‘absolute lie,’ says Congress
In the Upper House, Leader of the Opposition and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge attempted to read out excerpts from an unpublished book by former Army chief M.M. Naravane, the very point of contention in the Lok Sabha. Chairman and Vice-President C.P. Radhakrishnan disallowed him from doing so, prompting Opposition members to walk out in protest.
Opposition has defiled the temple of democracy: Modi
Leader of the House J.P. Nadda criticised the Congress, remarking that the party should not allow itself to be held hostage by an “abodh balak (ignorant child)”, in a reference to Mr. Gandhi.
