New Delhi: The Upper House of Parliament witnessed a showdown Friday between Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar and opposition MPs, with the latter staging a walkout following a heated exchange between the Chair and Samajwadi Party MP Jaya Bachchan who questioned his “tone”. Dhankhar termed it an attempt by the Opposition to ‘destabilise the nation’ and ‘create chaos in the House’. The Rajya Sabha was later adjourned sine die.
On Friday, heated exchange had unfolded between Dhankhar and opposition MPs over remarks by BJP’s Ghanshyam Tiwari the previous day aimed at the Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge. Even as Congress MPs demanded an apology from Tiwari, Dhankhar insisted the issue was resolved privately, ruling out a need for further discussion.
Besides Tiwari’s remarks, the walkout Friday was also in solidarity with Jaya Bachchan who got into a heated exchange with Dhankhar who referred to her as ‘Jaya Amitabh Bachchan’. She accused Dhankhar of taking an “unacceptable tone” with her. This was followed by protests from opposition MPs who then staged a walkout.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh demanded an apology from Dhankhar, accusing the Vice President, who is also Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, of ‘insulting opposition MPs every day and not allowing them to speak’.
Even as the Opposition demanded an apology from Dhankhar over the episode, Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda, who is the Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha, took strong exception to Bachchan’s comments. He also urged the Rajya Sabha to pass a resolution condemning the developments. “Today’s incident is highly condemnable and concerning; it is, in a way, a violation of democratic values… I urge the House to pass a resolution condemning this. The Opposition’s behaviour has been extremely unparliamentary, undisciplined, and disrespectful. The Opposition has become issue-less in terms of discussion, and undignified behaviour has become their habit,” said Nadda.
Speaking to the media after the walkout, Jaya Bachchan said, “I objected to the tone used by the Chair. We are not schoolchildren and some of us are senior citizens. I was upset with the tone and especially when the LoP (Kharge) stood up to speak, he (Dhankhar) switched off the mic. How can you do this? This is against tradition.”
“You have to allow the leader (LoP). Who is going to protect us? Leader of the Opposition. We are all together in the Opposition. If the LoP is not going to be heard in the House then what are we doing? And on top of that every time using unparliamentary language such as you are a nuisance, budhi-heen (foolish); he said you may be a celebrity but I don’t care. I am not asking him to care. I am saying I am an MP and no one has ever spoken the way it is now. And so disrespectful to women,” she added.
“I need an apology for saying I don’t care. He has to care. He is on the Chair and he has to care,” said the actor-turned-politician.
Don’t want schooling: Dhankhar
Dhankhar also accused opposition MPs of disrespecting the Constitution and democracy before he asked Bachchan to speak who then questioned his “tone” in Parliament, triggering a rebuke from him.
Bachchan expressed her disapproval stating, “I Jaya Amitabh Bachchan would like to say that I am an artist, I understand body language , expressions. I am sorry to say that your tone is not acceptable. We are colleagues, you may be sitting on the Chair….”
Dhankhar then interrupted Bachchan and said he did not need any ‘schooling’.
“I don’t want schooling. I am a person who has gone out of the way and you say my tone? No, seat given to you. Enough of it. You can’t have it. You may be anybody. You may be a celebrity. You have to understand the decorum. I will not bear it. Never carry an impression that only you build reputations. We come here with reputations. We live up to reputations. Nothing doing,” he said.
When a member took exception to Bachchan being called a ‘celebrity’ given that she is a ‘senior Member of Parliament’, Dhankhar responded by saying, “A senior Member of the Parliament has a licence to run-down the reputation of the Chair? To question the tone and tenor? Yes. I have to be in reaction mode to take care of the situation.
“I have highest respect but to make it a habit? My tone? My language? My temper? I don’t go by the script of others. I have my own script. I am not operated by anyone else… Thinking has to be from within… It is misconduct. I know you want to destabilise the entire nation. Yes. You are out to create chaos in the House.”
Dhankhar went on to say that India is a peaceful and stable country with a “most functional, vibrant democracy”.
“India has leadership continually in its third term, a history in making after six decades. India has leadership in Prime Minister, that has global recognition. The nation is proud of it, and some people taking note of happenings in the neighbouring country are engaging in inflammatory, condemnable narrative,” he added.
“Things have started as a narrative. Oh, neighbouring country, we are next… The challenge I know is not to me at all. In the entire mechanism, the challenge is to the elected government. That they want to start here. And I share with anguish, anxiety, pain and concern. I avoided virtually fist fight in the House by adjournments,” Dhankhar said.
He also criticised the Opposition for staging a walkout and said BJP MP Ghanshyam Tiwari had in fact praised Kharge. “Such narratives have to be ambushed at the threshold. Can you see reason today… Today when they walked out, one of the most experienced members of this house, four decades of experience, Ghanshyam Tiwari ji, his only transgression was he praised Mallikarjun Kharge ji. The praise was in Sanskrit.
“Mallikarjun Kharge was invited to my chamber along with Ghanshyam Tiwari ji, said that the matter was discussed, it was understood. But as a design, as a strategy, as a well-planned orchestration to find an alibi to walk out from the House, they staged it,” he said.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
