NEW DELHI: About 60 Opposition MPs on Tuesday submitted a notice for the removal of the Vice President and Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar alleging that his brief term has been rife with instances where he “acted in a manner that is explicitly partisan and unfair towards members belonging to the Opposition”.
The motion may only 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 that are in support of the said resolution. The winter session is scheduled to end on December 20.
In its notice submitted to Rajya Sabha secretary general P C Mody, the MPs said, “As Chairperson, the manner in which the Shri Jagdeep Dhankar conducts parliamentary affairs of the Rajya Sabha is extremely partisan. 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 with respect to the actions of the Government in the utmost disparaging manner”.
To be sure, 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.
But the Opposition’s decision comes after its frequent tussles with Dhankhar in the House.
In the notice, the Opposition MPs have pointed out that the Rajya Sabha chairman described himself as the “Eklavya of the RSS” and spoke “about 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 where the leaders have 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 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.
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”.
Source Name : Hindustan Times