New Delhi, Aug 10: In a rare incident, the remarks of an incumbent Prime Minister has been expunged from the parliamentary records due to the use of inappropriate language. Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, who is also the Chair of the Rajya Sabha, deleted a portion of PM Narendra Modi's speech in the Upper House on Thursday.

In his address to the House after NDA candidate Harivansh Singh won the Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman polls, Modi took a swipe at Congress leader BK Hariprasad, who was the losing candidate.

The Congress marked its dissent against the words chosen by the Prime Minister, calling them defamatory and ill-intended. Speaking to reporters on the issue, Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor said it is a "massive shame" that the PM "himself uses unparliamentary language" in the House.

The BJP, meanwhile, lauded Venkaiah Naidu, saying he has reiterated his fair and non-partisan behaviour.

Although Modi took a scathing jibe against Hariprasad during the initial portion of his speech, he later went on to praise the Congress leader saying he maintained the honour of a democracy by putting up a dignified contest.

Although the expunging of PM's statements in the Parliament is a rare incident, it is the not the first such instance. In 2013, then PM Manmohan Singh was involved in a heated verbal duel with the then Leader of Opposition Arun Jaitley. The Chair was compelled to expunge a portion of both leaders' speeches.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 10, 2018 03:32 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).