India, March 11 -- A heated argument broke out in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday over a remark by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, who later regretted it and underscored that his target was the central government and not the presiding officer.

The controversy arose when the Upper House was being presided by deputy chairman Harivansh, who gave the floor to Digvijaya Singh, who was scheduled to initiate a debate on education. Singh refused to speak, insisting that Leader of Opposition (LoP) Mallikarjun Kharge should be allowed to speak first. The Chair reminded Kharge that he had already spoken in the morning, but Kharge objected, stating that his remarks were incomplete as the education minister was not present at that time.

"What is t...