Here’s What Happened After Mallikarjun Kharge Said ‘Thokenge’ In Rajya Sabha

New Delhi: Following a chaos in the Rajya Sabha over his ‘thokenge’ (a derogatory expression meaning knocking out someone in Hindi) remark, Congress president and Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition, Mallikarjun Kharge, on Tuesday apologised to the Chair of the upper house. Kharge clarified that the remark was meant for the government that was “trying to create a regional divide” in India.

He had made the remark a debate on delimitation and the alleged ‘imposition’ of Hindi through the three-language formula of the New Education Policy. Reacting to his remarks, the BJP MPs alleged that Kharge’s statement was directed towards the Chair. However, Kharge soon withdrew his remark and clarified that he made the comments for the government policies and not for Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh.

“I apologise to you [Deputy Chairman], I have not used these words for you. I have said that ‘hum sarkar ki policies ko thokenge‘. I apologise to you and not to the government,”Kharge said.