Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday highlighted 10 reasons on why the Opposition submitted a no-confidence notice against Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar.
In a post on X, Kharge, who is also the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha said, “While I was not permitted to speak in the House, I seek to place before the people of India, 10 points as to why the Opposition expresses no confidence in the conduct of the Chairman and functioning of the Rajya Sabha.”
Advertisement
He asserted that the conduct of the Rajya Sabha Chairman has raised serious concerns over his impartiality, with frequent criticisms of the Opposition and an abuse of the powers vested in the Chair.
Accusing him of suppressing the Opposition’s voice, he said the Chairman has consistently suppressed the freedom of expression of Opposition members through persistent heckling, unwarranted insistence on authentication, unfair remarks, and the refusal to list issues of public importance for discussion.
“On several occasions, the Chairman has misused his authority by suspending members en masse and extending these suspensions beyond a single session, setting a concerning precedent. He has repeatedly and vociferously criticised Opposition leaders outside the House, often echoing the arguments of the ruling party, the BJP. Within the House, he has ‘schooled’ even senior Opposition members,” the Congress chief said.
Kharge said he has ”misused the sanctity of the Chair to praise his political ideologue – RSS, and said that ‘I am the Eklavya of RSS’, which is inconsistent with the spirit of the Constitution.”
Accusing him of not allowing discussion under Rule 267, he said, “The Chairman has never permitted any discussion under Rule 267, nor has he allowed Opposition members to explain their notices under this rule. In contrast, ruling party (BJP) members are often allowed to elaborate on their notices without restriction.”
Among others, the Congress chief claimed that Opposition members are not allowed to seek clarifications on statements made by Ministers, a practice that was previously permitted in the Upper House.
