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NEW DELHI: Six BJP MPs have moved a privilege notice in the Rajya Sabha against Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge over remarks they described as “disrespectful” towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi, prompting chairman CP Radhakrishnan to refer the matter to the committee of privileges for examination and a report. The decision marks an escalation of the row triggered by Kharge’s comments on the temporary restrictions imposed on Telegram ahead of the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination. The BJP members contended that the Congress leader’s remarks crossed parliamentary norms and warranted scrutiny under privilege provisions.The Committee of Privileges will now examine the complaint and submit its findings to the Rajya Sabha Chairman before any further action is considered.The privilege notice was submitted by six BJP MPs, who objected to Kharge’s statements accusing PM Modi government of attempting to conceal its failures in addressing examination irregularities and paper leaks. The MPs alleged that his comments about the Prime Minister were disrespectful and unbecoming of the Leader of Opposition in the Upper House.The controversy stems from a statement issued by Kharge on Tuesday after the government temporarily blocked access to Telegram and disabled message-editing features ahead of the NEET-UG 2026 re-test, a move authorities said was aimed at preventing the circulation of leaked examination material.Criticising the government’s handling of the issue, Kharge argued that the Centre was focusing on damage control rather than addressing the root causes of repeated examination leaks.“Whether it’s deploying the Indian Air Force, blocking Telegram, or catching small fish to protect the paper leak mafia—this is all something the Modi government has to do because in the last 10 years, 90 paper leaks have occurred, and 9 crore youth are suffering due to this fraud and corruption. How long will this government keep covering up its failures?”He also questioned why Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had not been held accountable for recurring examination controversies and said Prime Minister Modi should seek his resignation instead of resorting to temporary measures.Kharge further accused the Prime Minister of remaining silent despite the impact of examination scandals on students across the country.“Nearly half a dozen young people have been forced to take their own lives. Modi ji doesn’t utter a single word.”The Congress leader’s remarks came amid heightened political debate over examination security, with opposition parties accusing the government of failing to prevent leaks while the Centre has maintained that stringent steps are being taken to protect the integrity of competitive examinations.With the matter now before the Committee of Privileges, the panel’s examination of the complaint is expected to determine whether Kharge’s comments amount to a breach of parliamentary privilege or misconduct warranting further action by the House.
