The Rajya Sabha on Thursday descended into confrontation after the Opposition raised the issue of Rahul Gandhi not being allowed to speak in the Lok Sabha. Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the House JP Nadda traded barbs as the Opposition later staged a walkout.Kharge brought up the matter soon after the House took up Zero Hour, saying Rahul had sought to speak on issues linked to national interest during the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address in the Lok Sabha. As Kharge began referring to excerpts from an unpublished book by former Army Chief MM Naravane, Chairman CP Radhakrishnan intervened and disallowed the reference, ruling that proceedings of the Lok Sabha could not be discussed in the Upper House.The ruling led to loud protests from Congress members, who raised slogans alleging democracy was being throttled. The Chair attempted to proceed with the listed business, but the House remained noisy as tempers flared.Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said he was surprised that the issue was being raised in the Rajya Sabha after three days of what he described as smooth debate on the Motion of Thanks. He said members across parties were waiting to hear the PM’s reply in the Lok Sabha and argued that disruptions were preventing that from happening.Rijiju also accused Rahul of repeatedly disregarding parliamentary rules and the Speaker’s rulings, asking Kharge why he had not intervened to restrain his party’s leader. Instead of counselling discipline, he said, the Congress leadership was encouraging disorder and bringing in issues outside the scope of the House.Kharge rejected the charge, saying the Opposition did not want to disrupt proceedings. He said the Lok Sabha had remained paralysed for the past four days because Rahul was not being allowed to speak. He said Parliament consisted of both Houses, not just one.Kharge said, “Parliament doesn’t comprise only one House. You cannot paralyse one House to hide your mistakes. You betrayed and insulted the nation. When Rahul talks about it, then ‘aapko khujli uthti hai’ (you get itchy)…”When Nadda was allowed to intervene, he said the government was ready for discussion in all forms and at all times, and that the PM was present and prepared to respond in the Lok Sabha. He accused the Opposition of blocking the House despite this.Nadda criticised the disruption of the Rajya Sabha after days of uninterrupted debate and urged Kharge, as Congress president, to ensure his party functioned within democratic norms. He then made the remark that escalated the standoff, advising Kharge not to allow the Congress to be held “hostage to an abodh balak (ignorant child)”, in a reference to Rahul. He warned against letting pride, arrogance and ignorance dictate political conduct.Kharge strongly objected to the language used against Rahul, accusing BJP leaders of crushing democracy while claiming to defend it. As Opposition MPs walked out around 11.40 am, Nadda questioned what kind of democracy allowed the Opposition to challenge rules and then leave the House. Chairman Radhakrishnan later cited Jawaharlal Nehru’s guidance against referring to Lok Sabha proceedings in the Rajya Sabha, expunging remarks as the deadlock continued.