NEW DELHI: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday said Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar’s letter to him “unfortunately justified the autocratic and arrogant attitude of the government towards Parliament.” Kharge and Dhankhar have been involved in an exchange of letters with both raising questions on the impasse in Parliament that led to the suspension of 146 opposition MPs.
Dhankhar had written a letter to Kharge last Saturday and invited the Congress chief to his residence on December 25 for an interaction on the issue of disruptions in Parliament and the suspension of opposition MPs.
In his letter, Dhankhar had said that the disorder in the House was deliberate and part of a strategy. He had also raised questions at the role of the Congress in the disruptions. “I do not seek to embarrass you by indicating the predetermined role of the main opposition party in this communication, but will share with you when I have the benefit of interaction with you,” Dhankhar had written in his letter.
In his reply today to Dhankhar’s letter, Kharge urged the Vice-President to examine the concerns raised by him “objectively and with neutrality as the chairman of the Rajya Sabha.”
The Congress chief countered Dhankhar’s charge that the disorder in Parliament was “deliberate, strategised and predetermined.”
“You have mentioned that disorder was deliberate and strategised and predetermined. I would like to submit that if anything, it is the mass suspension of the opposition MPs from both Houses of Parliament that seems to be predetermined and premeditated by the government and I am most sorry to say, executed without any application of mind, as can be seen by the suspension of an INDIA party MP who was not even present in the Parliament,” Kharge said in his letter.
The Congress president also raised questions at the role of presiding officers in the passage of bills without any debate in the absence of opposition members.
“It would be distressing when history judges the presiding officers harshly for Bills passed without debate and not seeking accountability from the government. It is disappointing that the Hon’ble Chairman feels effecting suspensions facilitated legislative business by passing bills without discussion,” he said.
Kharge accused the ruling party of “weaponising” the suspension of MPs as a convenient tool to “undermine democracy, sabotage Parliamentary practices and throttle the Constitution.”
“If anything privilege motions have also been weaponised to muzzle the voice of the Opposition. This is a deliberate design of the ruling dispensation to undermine Parliament itself. By suspending MPs, the government is effectively silencing the voice of the voters of 146 MPs altogether,” Kharge said.
Kharge, in his letter, said “As the custodian of the House, the Chairman should protect the people’s right to hold its government accountable in Parliament.”
“The Chairman should also kindly note that the government has escaped accountability on all crucial issues like serious border incursions by China, or continued unrest in Manipur or the recent intrusion in the Lok Sabha by visitors who had been facilitated entry by a BJP MP,” Kharge wrote in his letter.
In his letter, Kharge said that a Union minister had allegedly informed an opposition parliamentarian that most opposition MPs will be suspended before the home minister is present in the Rajya Sabha.
“We would have expected the Chairman to have inquired if such a threat was indeed issued. Such comments grossly undermines the Chair who we believe is the final authority on conducting the House including suspension of members,” the Congress chief wrote.
Responding to Dhankhar’s remark that the Congress veteran’s refusal to meet him during the Winter session of Parliament was not in sync with parliamentary practices, Kharge wondered if any discussion in the chairman’s chamber would have helped when the government was not keen on running the House.
Kharge wrote, “I agree with you that we need to move ahead. The answer lies in holding ours true to the Constitution, the Parliament the Parliamentary practices and innate belief in democracy vis-a-vis an authoritarian government that is bent upon subverting the Parliament I would like to state with all humility that the answer may not lie in a discussion in your chambers if the government is not keen on running the house. While I am currently out of Delhi. it would be my privilege and indeed my duty to meet at your earliest convenience as soon as I am back in Delhi. Wishing you all the best for 2024.”
This is not the first time that the Congress president has raised questions about the role of presiding officers in the current impasse between the government and the opposition.
Addressing the Congress Working Committee meeting last week, Kharge said that the biggest challenge now is people holding constitutional positions, who are responsible for providing protection to the opposition MPs, are themselves becoming part of party politics using caste, region and occupation as their shield.
Without taking the name of Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, Kharge also said that he has failed to fulfill his obligations under the Constitution.
(With inputs from agencies)
Dhankhar had written a letter to Kharge last Saturday and invited the Congress chief to his residence on December 25 for an interaction on the issue of disruptions in Parliament and the suspension of opposition MPs.
In his letter, Dhankhar had said that the disorder in the House was deliberate and part of a strategy. He had also raised questions at the role of the Congress in the disruptions. “I do not seek to embarrass you by indicating the predetermined role of the main opposition party in this communication, but will share with you when I have the benefit of interaction with you,” Dhankhar had written in his letter.
In his reply today to Dhankhar’s letter, Kharge urged the Vice-President to examine the concerns raised by him “objectively and with neutrality as the chairman of the Rajya Sabha.”
The Congress chief countered Dhankhar’s charge that the disorder in Parliament was “deliberate, strategised and predetermined.”
“You have mentioned that disorder was deliberate and strategised and predetermined. I would like to submit that if anything, it is the mass suspension of the opposition MPs from both Houses of Parliament that seems to be predetermined and premeditated by the government and I am most sorry to say, executed without any application of mind, as can be seen by the suspension of an INDIA party MP who was not even present in the Parliament,” Kharge said in his letter.
The Congress president also raised questions at the role of presiding officers in the passage of bills without any debate in the absence of opposition members.
“It would be distressing when history judges the presiding officers harshly for Bills passed without debate and not seeking accountability from the government. It is disappointing that the Hon’ble Chairman feels effecting suspensions facilitated legislative business by passing bills without discussion,” he said.
Kharge accused the ruling party of “weaponising” the suspension of MPs as a convenient tool to “undermine democracy, sabotage Parliamentary practices and throttle the Constitution.”
“If anything privilege motions have also been weaponised to muzzle the voice of the Opposition. This is a deliberate design of the ruling dispensation to undermine Parliament itself. By suspending MPs, the government is effectively silencing the voice of the voters of 146 MPs altogether,” Kharge said.
Kharge, in his letter, said “As the custodian of the House, the Chairman should protect the people’s right to hold its government accountable in Parliament.”
“The Chairman should also kindly note that the government has escaped accountability on all crucial issues like serious border incursions by China, or continued unrest in Manipur or the recent intrusion in the Lok Sabha by visitors who had been facilitated entry by a BJP MP,” Kharge wrote in his letter.
In his letter, Kharge said that a Union minister had allegedly informed an opposition parliamentarian that most opposition MPs will be suspended before the home minister is present in the Rajya Sabha.
“We would have expected the Chairman to have inquired if such a threat was indeed issued. Such comments grossly undermines the Chair who we believe is the final authority on conducting the House including suspension of members,” the Congress chief wrote.
Responding to Dhankhar’s remark that the Congress veteran’s refusal to meet him during the Winter session of Parliament was not in sync with parliamentary practices, Kharge wondered if any discussion in the chairman’s chamber would have helped when the government was not keen on running the House.
Kharge wrote, “I agree with you that we need to move ahead. The answer lies in holding ours true to the Constitution, the Parliament the Parliamentary practices and innate belief in democracy vis-a-vis an authoritarian government that is bent upon subverting the Parliament I would like to state with all humility that the answer may not lie in a discussion in your chambers if the government is not keen on running the house. While I am currently out of Delhi. it would be my privilege and indeed my duty to meet at your earliest convenience as soon as I am back in Delhi. Wishing you all the best for 2024.”
This is not the first time that the Congress president has raised questions about the role of presiding officers in the current impasse between the government and the opposition.
Addressing the Congress Working Committee meeting last week, Kharge said that the biggest challenge now is people holding constitutional positions, who are responsible for providing protection to the opposition MPs, are themselves becoming part of party politics using caste, region and occupation as their shield.
Without taking the name of Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, Kharge also said that he has failed to fulfill his obligations under the Constitution.
(With inputs from agencies)