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It began with Jitendra Singh and Bansuri Swaraj, went on to Gaurav Gogoi and Akhilesh Yadav, until it was time for Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to begin speaking. She slammed the Union Government over the paper leaks, lack of action on accused and even took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "selfie videos." But the most contentious moment during the proceedings took place when she took on newly appointed Education Minister Pralhad Joshi, over his alleged remarks during the Bilkis Bano rape case. She claimed that Minister Joshi defended the accused in the rape case, and now was named the Minister of Education of the country. Outside Parliament, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi reiterated his sibling's comment, calling Pralhad Joshi a "filthy man." He remarked that there couldn't have been a filthier man to whom the charge of the Education Ministry could have been given.

 

Priyanka Gandhi's remark drew ire in the House, as the NDA Parliamentarians strictly condemned the comment. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju swiftly interjected, called the comment a "character assassination", and demanded that the remark be expunged. Joshi then stepped in himself, called the exchange "misinformation" and demanded that the comments must be authenticated.

 

But in a rare move, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla refused to expunge Priyanka Gandhi's remark and disallowed the treasury's request to do so. The debate continued, Gandhi was responded to by BJP MP Tejasvi Surya. Following the exchange in Parliament, Union Ministers Pralhad Joshi and Piyush Goyal also met Speaker Om Birla.