On the first day of the Winter Session of Parliament, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, on Monday, mentioned the “sudden and unexpected exit” of former Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar while the Upper House welcomed his successor, C. P. Radhakrishnan.
However, his remark triggered a brief protest from the Treasury benches, who argued that it was not the appropriate moment.
He referred to Dhankhar, who had resigned from the post of Vice President on 21 July, allegedly due to health issues.
“I am constrained to refer to your predecessor’s unexpected and sudden exit from the office of Chairman, which is unprecedented in the annals of Parliamentary history… The Chairman Rajya Sabha, as the custodian of the House, belongs as much to the opposition as to the government,” Kharge said, triggering uproar from ruling party benches.
“I was disheartened that this House did not get an opportunity to give him a farewell,” he said.
Kharge also mentioned that Radhakrishnan is related to former three-term Lok Sabha MP CK Kuppuswamy, who was a member of the Congress.
“It is better if you keep a balance between both sides. I wish you a successful term… The background you come from was mentioned by the PM, but you should also not forget you are from a Congress family,” he said.
Kharge slammed PM Modi
“Secondly, PM gave a statement outside (Parliament). He attacked us indirectly as well, we will reply to it here…” he added.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, meanwhile, slammed the Leader of Opposition for mentioning Dhankhar’s resignation on the “solemn occasion”.
“This is a very solemn occasion… The Prime Minister has made very dignified remarks as part of the felicitation event. .. Why did the honorable Leader of Opposition refer to a case which was not necessary to be raised at this moment…” Rijiju said.
“The language you used for the former chairman, the way you insulted him, the motion you served, we still have that copy…” he said.
He was referring to the motion to remove the Vice-President that Opposition parties had submitted during Dhankhar’s tenure.
Leader of the House J. P. Nadda also stepped in, calling on members to uphold the dignity of the moment. He further pointed to the setback suffered by the Opposition alliance, including the Congress, in the recent Bihar Assembly elections.
“This program is a pious occasion. We should maintain the dignity of the occasion. The issue that the Leader of Opposition raised, if we start discussing this, it is irrelevant… We will also have to mention that you brought a no-confidence motion against him twice. It is an obstacle in a good and congenial environment debate which is going on,” Nadda said.
The first day of the Winter session, which will have 15 sittings, saw frequent disruptions.
Several Opposition members trooped into the Well shouting slogans and protesting over SIR, as they have been demanding a debate on the issue.
(With inputs from agencies)
