New Delhi: The leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha and Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday, July 26, said that he was “insulted” and his self-respect was challenged after his microphone was allegedly switched off while he was speaking in parliament.Kharge was referring to the repeated disruptions from the treasury benches in the Rajya Sabha when he was invited to speak by chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar.“I was placing my issues before the House, and when 50 people gave notices under Rule 267, I did not even get a chance to speak in the Parliament,” he said.Opposition parties have demanded a statement by Modi inside the house as well as a discussion under Rule 267 of the Rajya Sabha’s ‘Rules of Procedures and Conduct of Business’. However, the government does not want to move ahead with Rule 267 and wants a short-duration discussion under Rule 176.“That is okay,” Kharge said.“But at least when I am speaking, my mike was suddenly switched off.मैं अपने मुद्दे सदन के सामने रख रहा था, और जब 50 लोगों ने 267 पर notice दिए , मुझे संसद में बोलने का मौका भी नहीं मिला। ठीक है।लेकिन कम से कम जब मैं बोल रहा हूँ तो मेरा माइक बंद कर दिया गया, ये मेरे privilege को धक्का है।ये मेरा अपमान हुआ है। मेरे self-respect को उन्होंने… pic.twitter.com/nKpGX80AwC— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) July 26, 2023“This is my privilege. This was a blow to my privilege. This is an insult to me. My self-respect has been challenged. And if the house is run on the directions of the government, then I will understand that this is not a democracy,” Kharge charged, even as Dhankhar can be heard saying that “nothing will go on record”.Earlier, DMK MP Tiruchi Siva also pointed out to Dhankhar that Kharge was repeatedly interrupted while he was speaking by the leader of the house Piyush Goyal and other members and was not able to convey what he wanted to say.“In an unprecedented manner, when the floor was given to him and he was speaking, his mike was switched off. This has never happened in the past that the leader of the opposition’s mike has been switched off,” Siva said.Dhankhar then responded that he had received inputs from the deputy chairman and stated that no microphones were switched off. He added, “It is not that mikes were put off. If an honourable member transgresses to another issue that is not the subject of discussion… That cannot be allowed.”The Rajya Sabha chairman also said that while media reports said that Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh had been suspended for raising the Manipur issue in Rajya Sabha, it was not so.“Suspension was not because he raised an issue. He was suspended for misconduct putting it in the public domain that a member was suspended because of raising an issue is unpardonable,” he said.On Monday, Singh was suspended by Dhankhar for the remainder of the session for “repeatedly violating the directives of the chair” as opposition MPs protested in parliament demanding a discussion on Manipur.Vice-president Jagdeep Dhankhar. Photo: Sansad TV Screengrab via PTI/FileLater, when the house reconvened after lunch, Kharge announced that the opposition MPs will be staging a walkout as their demands are not being met and they are not even being allowed to speak.“Thank you for calling me to speak. I request you to not switch off my microphone,” he said.“The discussion that we wanted in the house, we wanted the prime minister’s statement and are still waiting for it.“But now it has been five days and the prime minister has not come. And he is watching everything from his office but not giving a statement. We are ready to give a statement in front of him. The government is not giving us the chance to speak. This is why because of the behaviour of the government in protest we are walking out,” he said.While the opposition was walking out, deputy chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh said that the MPs must listen to what he had to say before leaving.“I would like to clarify that the rules of the house say that only the subject under consideration can be discussed. Today, a concern is being raised against these rules and procedures. Who are the people who made these rules and procedures? The country should ask this.”Also Read: A Look at the History of No-Confidence Motions, as Modi Government Faces Its SecondKharge writes to ShahLater Kharge also wrote a letter to Union home minister Amit Shah saying that Modi’s comments comparing the nomenclature of the INDIA alliance of 26 opposition parties to the Indian Mujahideen and East India Company is “unfortunate.”“In a single day, the respected Prime Minister connects the opposition parties of the country with the British rulers and the terrorist group and on the same day the Home Minister writes an emotional letter and expects a positive attitude from the opposition,” he said sharing a copy of the letter on Twitter.Kharge was referring to Modi’s comments on Tuesday and Shah’s letter to the leaders of opposition parties in both houses urging for cooperation for a discussion on Manipur.“It is not only absurd but also unfortunate for the Prime Minister to call the opposition parties directionless on this,” Kharge said,“We have been urging the Prime Minister to come to the House and give a statement on Manipur, but it seems that doing so is hurting his honour. We have a commitment to the people of this country and will pay any cost for it.”Modi broke his silence on the ethnic violence outside parliament last week, but he only referred to the harrowing video that went viral on social media the day before – showing two Kuki women being paraded naked in Kangpokpi on May 4.He did not speak about the overall collapse of law and order in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled state and instead attempted to draw a parallel to crimes against women in two Congress-ruled states.