NEW DELHI: As the political showdown over the Opposition’s no-trust motion notice against Vice-President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar continues, Leader of Opposition in the Upper House Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday accused the chairman of muzzling the Opposition’s “right to speak”. He said that “expression of opinion” has become the norm in the Rajya Sabha.Kharge’s response came after Union minister JP Nadda’s strong criticism against the Congress president for questioning the Chair. In a long post on micro-blogging site X, Kharge alleged that the Rajya Sabha Chairman has consistently suppressed the freedom of expression of the Opposition members through “persistent heckling, unwarranted insistence on authentication, unfair remarks, and the refusal to list issues of public importance for discussion”.He alleged that trampling of democracy and subjugation of truth has become the autocratic norm in Rajya Sabha. “Assault on established parliamentary practices is promoted and ethical conduct stands liquidated in Rajya Sabha,” he wrote.While muzzling of “right to speak” & “expression of opinion” by Opposition in Rajya Sabha has become the norm…While trampling of “Democracy” & “subjugation of truth” has become the autocratic norm in Rajya Sabha…While assault on established “Parliamentary practices” is…— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) December 12, 2024
Kharge said he was not permitted to speak in the House and he seeks to place before the people of India, 10 points as to why the Opposition expresses “no confidence” in the conduct of the Chairman and the Rajya Sabha’s functioning. “His conduct has raised serious concerns over his impartiality, with frequent criticisms of the Opposition and an abuse of the powers vested in the Chair,” he said.However, he said, “We will not bow down. We will stand tall to protect the democratic rights of every fellow citizens and the sacred Constitution.”His scathing criticism of the Vice-President comes two days after the INDIA bloc parties submitted a notice in Rajya Sabha for moving a no-confidence motion against Dhankhar, accusing him of being extremely partisan.As many as 60 opposition MPs have signed the petition.Elaborating on the reasons for the no-trust motion, Kharge said that on several occasions, the Chairman has misused his authority by suspending members en masse and extend the suspensions beyond a single session, and also displays “unwarranted sycophancy” towards the government within the House and outside.
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