Cong leaders meet speaker over Nishikant Dubey's remarks against party

New Delhi: Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Tuesday met Speaker Om Birla on the issue of BJP MP Nishikant Dubey's remarks not being expunged from the records.

Sources said Chowdhury met the Speaker along with Congress MPs Shashi Tharoor, Gaurav Gogoi, Manickam Tagore and K Suresh.

The matter was also discussed by leaders of INDIA opposition bloc.

Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned over the issue in the morning after opposition members strongly protested against an expunged portion of Monday's debate being re-recorded.

When the House met, Chowdhury raised the issue of the expunged portion of the comments made by Dubey being re-recorded.

On Monday, Dubey had raised in Lok Sabha the issue of a news report in the New York Times which claimed that web portal NewsClick has received Rs 38 crore funding and the money has been used to create an anti-India environment.

Dubey alleged that NewsClick is a member of anti-India 'Tukde Tukde' gang, and demanded that the Government investigate the beneficiaries of the fundings.

"... Between 2005 and 2014, Chinese Government has paid money to Congress .... Congress wants to divide India ...," Dubey alleged, amid opposition uproar.

Later, a mail issued by the Lok Sabha secretariat said that some portions of Dubey's speech was expunged from the records.

However, late in the evening some parts of these expunged portions were uploaded on Lok Sabha website.

Officials told journalists that whatever was uploaded in the website was final.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur on Monday alleged that China, NewsClick website and the Congress are linked to an "anti-India umbilical cord", as the BJP leader cited The New York Times report on the funding of the news portal.