 "Why opposition moved no-confidence motion against Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankar")
The opposition has filed a no-confidence motion against Jagdeep Dhankhar.
The Congress-led Indi bloc has moved the notice against the Rajya Sabha chairman, who is also Vice-President of India, in the backdrop of a tumultuous Winter Session of Parliament.
The Winter Session of Parliament, which began on November 25, will conclude on December 20.
But what happened? Why has the opposition done so? And what is it alleging? How is the BJP-led NDA responding?
Let’s take a closer look:
What happened?
The opposition has filed a no-confidence motion against Dhankhar under Article 67(b) of the Constitution as per News18.
Article 67(b) states, “Vice-President may be removed from his office by a resolution of the Council of States (Rajya Sabha) passed by a majority of all the then members of the Council and agreed to by the House of the People; but no resolution for the purpose of this clause shall be moved unless at least fourteen days’ notice has been given of the intention to move the resolution.”
The Congress, Trinamool Congress (TMC), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Samajwadi Party (SP), have all signed the motion.
Sources told PTI that MPs from the RJD, CPI, CPI-M, JMM, DMK – have also signed the notice.
The TMC said 71 MPs put their signatures on the no-confidence motion, as per News18.
Indian Express reported that 65 MPs were signatories to the notice.
However, PTI reported that top opposition leaders who hold constitutional posts have not yet put pen to paper.
This includes Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress parliamentary party chairperson Sonia Gandhi and the floor leaders of various opposition parties.
At least 50 MPs are required to bring a motion to remove the vice president.
As per Indian Express, this is the first time this has occurred in Indian parliament.
Why did this happen?
The notice was submitted on Tuesday after both Houses of Parliament witnessed scenes of chaos.
As per News18, the BJP has accused top Congress leaders of colluding with US billionaire George Soros against the interests of the nation.
The opposition has accused Dhankhar of ‘bias’ and running the House to favour the ruling party.
As per Times Now, they allege that Kharge’s speeches have been repeatedly disrupted and his microphone been switched off.
According to Times Now, Dhankhar prohibited 11 notices received under Rule 267 from on the farmers’ protests, the violence in Manipur and the alleged links between Soros and Congress leaders.
However, Dhankhar let BJP MP Kavita Patidar speak.
Patidar then brought up the subject of the Congress and Soros – much to the opposition’s dismay.
“This is most unfair. You have rejected the notices. He is raising an issue, which you have rejected. It is very clear this is part of a game plan to raise this issue and have this House adjourned. Don’t be party to this,” Congress MP Jairam Ramesh said.
Congress leader Digvijaya Singh had also accused the Rajya Sabha chairman of being partisan.
“In my entire political life spanning 55 years, I have never seen a more biased and partisan presiding officer in Parliament,” Singh said.
“Opposition wants the House to be run by rules and conventions, and personal remarks against members are unacceptable,” a source told The Times of India.
Dhankhar on Tuesday claimed that the “functioning of the deep state affects us more perniciously than the Covid disease.”
Dhankhar said a meeting was held with the Leader of the Opposition in his chamber.
“The purpose of that meeting was to ensure that the House runs smoothly. Both sides had a frank discussion and they signalled two things. One, that integrity, and sovereignty of the nation are sacred for us. We cannot allow any forces within the country or outside to sacrilege our unity, our integrity and our sovereignty," Dhankhar said.
“Any challenge to the unity and integrity of the nation from within or outside requires all of us to offer a united challenge… It is a challenge to our very existence. We as a nation are committed to fighting the sinister forces, the forces that are inimical to India… a deep state that is evolving is required to be neutralised by all of us," he added.
What is the Opposition saying?
Jairam Ramesh wrote on X, “All parties belonging to the INDIA group have had no option but to formally submit a no-confidence motion against the learned Hon’ble chairman of the Rajya Sabha for the extremely partisan manner in which he has been conducting the proceedings of the Council of States.”
“It has been a very painful decision for the INDIA parties to take, but in the interests of parliamentary democracy they have had to take this step. The motion has just been submitted to the Secretary General of the Rajya Sabha,” he added.
TMC MP and its Deputy Leader in Rajya Sabha Sagarika Ghose said, “Signed by all and being moved today against Vice President. We do not have the numbers to win, but it is a strong message to fight for parliamentary democracy. Nothing against individuals, this is a fight for institutions.”
“For the first time in history, the government itself is not allowing the House to function. The Modi government is murdering Parliament… I want to ask the government not to run away. They must answer to the people,” she added as per ABP News.
The outlet quoted Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as saying: “The House is not running, and the government is deliberately not running the House, or they are unable, incapable to do so. It is their strategy… they are afraid of discussion over Adani. I am new to Parliament and it is strange that the PM has not come here, it’s been 10 days of this session.
As per News18, the India bloc leaders claimed that they had gathered the necessary signatures from the opposition in August.
However, they did not proceed as they wanted to give Dhankhar ‘another chance.’
However, they said they decided to go ahead with the no-confidence vote after witnessing his behaviour on Monday
According to Indian Express, the motion is likely to go down to defeat in the Rajya Sabha.
BJP MP Arun Singh has placed the blame of proceedings being interrupted squarely on the Congress and the opposition.
The party has in recent days been in attack mode against the Congress particularly Sonia.
BJP on Monday accused the opposition party’s leaders of colluding with “foreign forces” that want to destabilise India and asked Sonia Gandhi to disclose her role as the “co-president” in a George Soros Foundation-funded organisation’s activities.
The ruling party also hit out at Rahul Gandhi, saying he was “playing the role of pawn to perfection”, after the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha led a protest by the INDIA bloc parties in Parliament complex over the demand for a JPC into allegations against business tycoon Gautam Adani.
The BJP alleged that Sonia Gandhi was the “co-president” of the Forum of the Democratic Leaders-Asia Pacific (FDL-AP) Foundation, an organisation financed by the George Soros Foundation, which has backed the idea of Kashmir as an independent nation.
The Congress has dismissed the BJP’s allegations and said the real conspiracy unravelling during the Parliament’s Winter Session is that the government would even put at stake India’s ties with another country just to save businessman Gautam Adani.
With inputs from agencies
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