‘Embarrassment’ for Modi as a word expunged from his speech

A word was expunged from the speech of Indian prime minister Narendra Modi delivered in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.

News agency IANS called this ‘a major embarrassment’ for the Indian prime minister and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

The word was expunged when Modi launched a blistering attack on the opposition regarding National Population Register (NPR), reports Indian media outlet NDTV.

It is rare for a prime minister’s words to be deleted from parliamentary records but not unprecedented. In 2018, some words were dropped from Modi’s comments on Congress leader BK Hariprasad. He had used wordplay on Hariprasad’s initials, which was seen as derogatory, the NDTV report added.

The NDTV report also said in 2013, some words were expunged from then prime minister Manmohan Singh’s comments in Rajya Sabha during a heated argument with opposition leader Arun Jaitley. Some parts were removed from Jaitley’s remarks as well.