Opposition moves no-confidence motion against Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: For the first time in the country’s parliamentary history since 1952, a notice for the removal of the vice president, who also serves as the chairman of Rajya Sabha, has been submitted on Tuesday, jointly by the INDIA bloc of opposition parties, accusing Jagdeep Dhankhar of “partisan” conduct as chairman of the Upper House.
If the motion is moved, these parties need a simple majority to get it passed, but they lack the requisite numbers in the 243-member House. However, the opposition members insisted on Tuesday that, the move against the VP was meant to be a “strong message to fight for parliamentary democracy,” that needs to be registered.
Condemning the opposition move, parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju said, “the opposition disrespects the dignity of the Chair, be it in Rajya Sabha or Lok Sabha. We all know that in the parliamentary tradition, Speakers of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha are our guides. We must obey whoever sits on the chair. Congress and its allies continuously behave in the wrong way,” at a press conference, after the notice was submitted, assuring that the ruling NDA has the majority in the House.
The notice for bringing a motion to remove the vice president, requires a 14-day notice to be given and that it should be approved by the deputy chairman, before the motion is taken up.
With the Winter Session scheduled to be over by November 20, the notice submitted on Tuesday may not cover the required number days. But the Opposition is unwilling to let go and have planned that, “if their notice gets nullified after this session, they will move a fresh one in the next session,” it is learnt.
On behalf of the opposition parties, Congress MPs Jairam Ramesh and Naseer Hussain submitted the notice on Tuesday, signed by 60 MPs — including those from Congress, TMC, SP, RJD, CPI, CPM, JMM, AAP, DMK — to RS secretary general P C Mody.
It was 10 days ago, that TMC first came up with the suggestion, it is learnt, to go ahead with the no-confidence move against the vice president. “However, with Congress caught up with the Adani issue, it was conveyed to Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, also a member of RS, who spoke to Congress president and leader of Opposition in RS on Monday and gave the green signal to the other parties to move ahead on this plan,” sources told the TOI.
Since the move was first initiated in August during the last monsoon session, the opposition parties had “gathered evidence” and put them together, in the form of videos, articles and other documents, to prove their accusation against the Chair. In fact, a video clip also shows Dhakhar picking on BJP leader Piyush Goyal. The evidences were collated and updated and fresh signatures were collected for the notice that was finally submitted on Tuesday.
It was decided that Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress parliamentary party chairperson Sonia Gandhi and floor leaders of opposition parties were not to be among the signatories to the notice, the sources also said.
The Opposition has been upset with Dhankhar over multiple issues. The latest trigger was allowing ruling BJP members to raise allegations of links between Congress leaders and billionaire investor George Soros which the ruling party claims are involved in “anti-India activities.”
The opposition said his conduct of the House on December 9, 2024, was particularly one-sided and totally unfair, and that he was “encouraging and provoking” the treasury benches to make outrageous remarks.
The motion submitted by opposition MPs condemned the “partisan conduct” of the RS Chairman, and said it is “unbecoming of high-level Constitutional authorities that are expected to act in accordance with and in furtherance of the principles enshrined in the Constitution of India.”
The motion said Dhankhar’s term as VP and Rajya Sabha chairman has been “rife with instances” where he has “acted in a manner that is explicitly partisan and unfair towards members belonging to the Opposition.” They accused him of repeatedly making disparaging comments about Opposition Members publicly, criticising any and every action taken by them where leaders have expressed their views on issues concerning the functioning of the government. They also mentioned an instance from July this year, where Dhankar, while presiding as Chairperson, labelled himself as the “Eklavya of the RSS.”
“Such remarks by Shri Jagdeep Dhankar are unbecoming of the non-partisan nature of the position he currently occupies,” the Opposition notice said.
It said Dhankhar has repeatedly denied “legitimate requests” of Leader of Opposition in RS, to intervene and rebut the Prime Minister and the Leader of the House. They also alleged he is being an “impassioned spokesperson of the government’s policies in public forums across the country” and has publicly attacked Opposition MPs for viewpoints expressed by them that are contrary to the position of the government.
Ramesh posted, “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,” on his X handle.
TMC MP Sagarika Ghose admitting that they did not have the numbers to win, said, “it is a strong message to fight for parliamentary democracy. Nothing against individuals, this is a fight for institutions.”
Similar notices for removal of the Speaker of Lok Sabha have been submitted in the past. Three motions were moved against Lok Sabha Speakers G V Mavalankar on December 18, 1954, against Hukam Singh on November 24, 1966 and against Balram Jakhar on April 15, 1987. While the motions against Mavlankar and Jakhar were negated, that against Hukam Singh was rejected as less than 50 members rose in the chair to support the motion.
Ramesh pointed out details of the three instances. The first one against GV Mavalankar on December 18, 1954, moved by Social Party MP from Bihar Vigneshwar Missir. A Ayyangar was the deputy speaker. The motion was decided as negative. The second time Sardar Hukum Singh faced the heat with Madhu Limaye moving a motion seeking his removal on November 24 in 1966. SV Krishnamoorthy was deputy speaker. The motion was rejected as less than 50 members rosse in the chair. The last time was on April 15, 1987, when Balram Jhakhar was Speaker and motion was moved by CPM’s Somnath Chatterjee. Thambi Durai was deputy speaker. The motion was decided as negative.
According to Article 67(b) of the Constitution: “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.”