To bring a motion to remove the VP, a 14-day notice has to be given and it should be approved by the deputy chairman before it is taken up. With the winter session ending on Dec 20, the notice submitted on Tuesday may not cover the required number of days. Opposition sources said they plan to submit a fresh notice in the next session.
It is learnt that 10 days ago, TMC first came up with the suggestion of a no-confidence move against the VP. “However, with Congress caught up with the Adani issue, it was conveyed to Sonia Gandhi, who spoke to Congress president and leader of opposition in RS Mallikarjun Kharge, encouraging him to join the move,” a source told TOI. It was decided that Kharge, Sonia and floor leaders of opposition parties would not be among the signatories to the notice, sources said.
Since their first step during the monsoon session, opposition parties had gathered what they called “evidence” by compiling videos, articles and other documents, to prove their accusation of bias against the VP.
In fact, a video clip also showed Dhankhar picking on BJP’s Piyush Goyal.
The opposition has been upset with Dhankhar over multiple issues, the latest trigger being him allowing BJP members to raise allegations of links between Congress representatives and controversial billionaire George Soro, who, the saffron party claims, are involved in “anti-India activities”.
The opposition said his conduct in the House on Dec 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 the opposition MPs said it was “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 RS chairman was “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, criticising actions where their MPs have expressed their views on issues concerning functioning of govt.They mentioned an instance from July where Dhankhar, while presiding over the House, labelled himself as the “Eklavya of RSS”.
It said Dhankhar has repeatedly denied “legitimate requests” of the leader of opposition in RS to intervene and rebut the PM and the leader of the House. They also alleged he was being an “impassioned spokesperson of govt’s policies in public forums across the country”.