Parliament today: Stormy session likely amid Oppn’s no-trust move against Jagdeep Dhankhar

The opposition bloc has accused Dhankhar of "partisan" conduct as the chairman of the Upper House and submitted the notice for motion on Tuesday. The move, spearheaded by the Congress, comes in the wake of verbal clashes between opposition parties and RS Chairman Dhankhar

New Delhi: The proceedings in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday may witness chaos as the INDIA bloc has submitted a notice to bring a motion for removing House Chairman Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar.

The opposition bloc has accused Dhankhar of “partisan” conduct as the chairman of the Upper House and submitted the notice for motion on Tuesday. The move, spearheaded by the Congress, comes in the wake of verbal clashes between opposition parties and RS Chairman Dhankhar.

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If the motion is moved, the opposition needs a simple majority to get it passed, but they do not have the requisite numbers in the 243-member House. On behalf of the opposition, Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh and Naseer Hussain submitted the notice signed by 60 opposition MPs under Article 67-B of the Constitution.

These MPs include those from the Congress, RJD, Trinamool Congress, CPI, CPI(M), JMM, AAP, DMK, and Samajwadi Party. Congress members maintained that such biased handling of Rajya Sabha proceedings undermines the democratic process, prompting the INDIA bloc parties to collectively bring the motion forward. They insisted that it was a “strong message to fight for parliamentary democracy”.

Congress MP Randeep Singh Surjewala criticised the ruling party, alleging that it is disrupting Parliament to avoid debates on critical issues like corruption, inflation, and unemployment. “This is a black chapter in parliamentary history. The government is running away from discussions and wasting Parliament’s time,” he said.

Surjewala claimed this marked the first instance in India’s 75-year history where the government itself is allegedly obstructing Parliament’s functioning. The opposition parties, including the Congress, have also raised concerns about unequal treatment in the Rajya Sabha.

They allege that while the ruling party is allowed to express its views even amidst disruptions, the opposition is denied the same opportunity. Congress MP Pramod Tiwari stated that the opposition has always been willing to engage in debates and discussions but accused the BJP of deliberately adjourning the House to avoid addressing pressing issues such as unemployment and recent violence in UP’s Sambhal.

The opposition’s no-confidence motion signals escalating tensions in Parliament, with both sides accusing each other of obstructing democratic functioning. Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday, responding to the Opposition’s no-confidence motion against Chairman Dhankhar, said the NDA government holds the majority in the House.

“We have a lot of respect for Jagdeep Dhankhar. He is a very knowledgeable person. The notice that has been served against him, which has been signed by 60 MPs, I condemn it. The NDA government has a full majority and the majority has trust in the Vice President,” said Rijiju.