‘Dhankhar acted in partisan manner’: 60 MPs sign notice
The motion will likely be taken up in the next session by the Rajya Sabha.
Vice President and Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar’s term is rife with instances where he “acted in a manner that is explicitly partisan and unfair towards members belonging to the Opposition”, around 60 Opposition MPs alleged in a notice they submitted seeking his removal.
The motion will likely be taken up in the next session by the Rajya Sabha because, according to Article 67 (b), a motion for the removal of the Vice President from his office requires a 14-day notice of intent on the part of members of the Rajya Sabha who are in support of the said resolution. The winter session is scheduled to end on December 20.
In the notice submitted to Rajya Sabha Secretary General P C Mody, the MPs said, “As Chairperson, how the Shri Jagdeep Dhankar conducts parliamentary affairs of the Rajya Sabha is extremely partisan.
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It is a matter of record that Shri Jagdeep Dhankar has repeatedly interrupted members of the Opposition while they are speaking, unfairly used privilege motions to silence leaders of the opposition, and openly delegitimized dissent concerning the actions of the Government in the utmost disparaging manner”.
Dhankhar’s office didn’t offer any response but it posted photos on X of Rajya Sabha chairman’s meeting with several MPs, including some of those who have signed the notice against him.
It will be an uphill task for the Opposition to remove the Vice President as the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance has more lawmakers in the House to reject any such motion if it comes to voting.
No Vice President has ever been impeached in India. The notice was signed by MPs belonging to Congress, Trinamool, AAP, Samajwadi Party, CPIM, JMM, Kerala Congress (Mani) and others.
But the Opposition’s decision comes after its frequent tussles with Dhankhar in the House, and after enough indications over the past two sessions that it was considering such a move.
In the notice, the Opposition MPs have pointed out that the Rajya Sabha chairman once described himself as the “Eklavya of the RSS” and spoke, “about (his) history with the organization and how after joining the organization he wished that he had started his political career with the RSS itself.”
Such remarks, were “unbecoming of the non-partisan nature of the position he currently occupies,” said the notice which cites six examples of what it alleged were “extremely biased” conduct.
The notice said the chairman repeatedly made disparaging comments about Opposition MPs, criticising “any and every action taken by them” when they “ expressed issues with the functioning of the ruling Government.”
Dhankhar also “repeatedly denied legitimate requests of the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha to intervene and rebut falsehoods propagated by the Prime Minister and the Leader of the House”, “made unacceptable remarks against the Leader of the Opposition in the R’ajya Sabha thereby lowering the dignity of the House”, and “recalled his past association with so-called cultural organizations”, the notice claimed.
Dhankhar has often criticised the Opposition over the latter’s disruptive tactics. “The loss of time and opportunity by not having the Question Hour has been a setback for the people. I express my deep anguish. My absolute pain is that we are creating a bad precedent and we are dishonouring the people of this country. Our actions are not people-centric. We are getting into irrelevance,” Dhankhar said during a recent session.
On another occasion, the Chairman observed “This House at this critical moment, when the country is facing such serious challenges, must send a united voice to motivate the people at large, inspire the people, so that these forces are defeated. We in this country, that is rising at a very fast pace, cannot afford to overlook such kind of evil designs and our conduct should be such that people get more interest in our Parliamentary affairs.”
The notice also alleged that Dhankhar criticised “statements made by Opposition leaders who were not members of the Rajya Sabha”, took it “upon himself to be an impassioned spokesperson of the government’s policies in public forums across the country” and “publically attacked Opposition MPs for viewpoints expressed by them that are contrary or oppose the position of the ruling government vis-a-vis a said issue.”
The notice said Dhankar was expected to conduct himself in a non-partisan manner and accused him of “encouraging and provoking the Treasury Benches to make outrageous remarks” on December 9.
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Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said, “Firstly, I would like to refute this notice. Since the beginning of the Winter session, we have seen that the opposition has consistently disrespected the Chair, whether it is the Speaker of the Lok Sabha or the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, undermining the dignity of the Chair.”
Speaking on the stipulation in Article 67 (b) of a 14-day notice, Ravindra Garimela, former joint secretary, Legislation, Lok Sabha Secretariat, said “there aren’t any provisions as such vis a vis computation of this period of 14 days.
This is a case of first impression. Hence a matter of interpretation. This being a motion for removal of a Constitutional authority, ideally one needs to perceive the legislative intent and spirit behind provisions of Article 67 of the Constitution. From this perspective, the period of 14 days need not be confined to the present winter session and can be extended to the budget session too”.
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