Rajya Sabha LoP Mallikarjun Kharge speaks in Rajya Sabha during the Monsoon Session of Parliament, in New Delhi

NEW DELHI: The debate on Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill in RS Thursday turned into a heated argument between treasury benches and opposition when leader of the opposition Mallikarjun Kharge read out what he claimed Hindi translation of a portion from Manusmriti.Kharge alleged portions of Manusmriti have become part of the “curriculum” under BJP govt. He was challenged by leader of the House J P Nadda, who asked the LoP to produce the “original manuscript” for authentication.RS chairperson CP Radhakrishnan asked Kharge what Manusmriti had to do with the bill. Kharge claimed, “Manusmriti teaches that if a ‘Shudra’ listens to Veda, his ears should be filled with shards; if he reads Ved aloud, his tongue should be cut off; and if he retains its words, his body should be dismembered.”BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi slammed Kharge citing B R Ambedkar’s writings to argue there was no untouchability in the era of Manu.