Refusing to have a meeting with the presiding officer to resolve a stalemate in Parliament is a “rebuff not in sync” with Parliamentary practice, Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar is learnt to have communicated to Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge. The message that was communicated came as the Opposition was demanding a statement by Home Minister Amit Shah on the security breach in Parliament on 13 December and the subsequent suspension of 146 MPs, including 46 in the Upper House.
According to sources aware of the matter, Vice President Dhankhar has told Kharge that he was looking forward to an interaction with him for a “healthy way forward” on 25 December, adding that to render the House dysfunctional by making on the Chair a demand that cannot be acceded is unfortunate and against public interest.
Weaponizing disruptions and disturbance as a political strategy doesn’t resonate with the constitutional obligation of keeping the interest of the people at large above any other political considerations, VP Dhankhar apparently told the Congress president.
The Vice President, it is learnt, expressed pain at his “continual efforts and requests” seeking a meeting with Kharge to ensure wholesome functioning of the House not finding favour at the other end. Sources said that the Chairman told Kharge about the importance of interaction with the presiding officer.
VP Dhankhar expressed his pain at the Congress chief’s refusal to interact with him in his chamber to ensure the “wholesome functioning of the House”. “As a veteran of the parliamentary mechanism, you are well aware that interaction with the presiding officer is of high priority. Nothing can be more painful and a severe setback to the office. It was a rebuff not in sync with parliamentary practice,” Dhankhar, as per sources, told Kharge.
He reminded Kharge that his request to raise the issue in the House did not meet procedural requirements and he was constrained to deny their admittance. The message to Kharge came on the day the Rajya Sabha was adjourned sine die. Since 14 December, Opposition MPs in both the Houses have been demanding a statement from the Home Minister.
The row escalated earlier last week after Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee mimicked VP Jagdeep Dhankhar and Rahul Gandhi recorded the same on his mobile phone as other MPs kept smiling and laughing. VP Dhankhar had then said that the Opposition insulted his caste (Jat) and farmers as he belonged to a farmers’ family.