VP Dhankar acts like govt’s spokesman than RS chairperson: INDIA bloc

New Delhi: Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) leaders today asserted that the Vice President and Chairman of the Rajya Sabha is the biggest disruptor of House proceedings. They alleged that he acts more like the spokesperson of the government than the presiding officer of the House.

The leaders of various INDIA bloc parties in the Rajya Sabha, led by the Leader of Opposition (in the Rajya Sabha) and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, today addressed a joint press conference to present the case of the joint Opposition on the “sensitive matter” of the notice of “resolution for the removal of the Vice President of India,” who is also the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.

“This is not just a breach of protocol but a betrayal of the Constitution and the people of India,” Kharge remarked while clarifying that the notice of motion for the removal of the Vice President is not about personal grievances or political battles.

“I am very sad to say that the Chairman left us no option but to go ahead with this notice,” Kharge said, adding, “For the last three years, rather than providing time and space for Opposition members to raise critical issues, the Chairman has resorted to schooling senior leaders, speaking down to them like a headmaster, as though they were students in a classroom. He never misses an opportunity to insult any opposition leader.”

The Congress president said that, for the first time in the country's history, “We have a Vice President who openly criticizes Opposition parties in public forums and behaves as a spokesperson for the ruling party, sometimes even outperforming them in their role.”

Moreover, Kharge added, as Chairman, the Vice President frequently interrupts proceedings, routinely denying the Opposition the opportunity to present their views in the House.

“As the custodian of the House and the protector of the rights of every member, the Chairman is expected to rise above politics, seek consensus, and ensure that the voices of all members and parties are heard,” he observed. However, he regretted that the Chairman's conduct of the House on 9th, 10th, and 11th December 2024, was particularly troubling, as it was marked by blatant partisanship and a total lack of fairness.

The Congress president accused the Chairman of openly encouraging and provoking the ‘Treasury Benches’ to make outrageous remarks against the Opposition, undermining the dignity of the House.

The Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha appealed to the people of India to understand that this notice has been filed after thorough consideration and deliberation, with the sole purpose of safeguarding the Constitution and protecting the integrity of our parliamentary democracy.

Kharge pointed out that, since 1952, such a resolution under Article 67 for the removal of the Vice President has never been brought forward, as the past Chairmen were always impartial and above partisan politics. “They never indulged in politics. They only ran Parliament according to the rules and regulations,” he observed.

Quoting the first Vice President, Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, who said in the House on May 16, 1952, “I belong to no party, and that means in Parliament I am associated with all the parties,” Kharge remarked.

“But,” Kharge regretted, “we are sorry to say that, in the 75th year of the adoption of the Constitution, because of the biased and partisan behavior of the Chairman, we have been forced to bring this resolution to remove him.”