On Tuesday, a fractured Opposition in the Rajya Sabha (RS) united to submit a notice for a motion of no-confidence against Vice-President and RS Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, accusing him of bias in the conduct of House proceedings. This is the first such motion against an RS Chairman since the Upper House was constituted on April 3, 1952.
Jairam Ramesh, the Congress chief whip in the Rajya Sabha, stated that all parties in the opposition INDIA alliance had no choice but to move the no-confidence motion due to what they termed Dhankhar’s “extremely partisan” handling of the proceedings. The opposition resolution highlights the importance of the RS Chairman’s position, but alleges that Dhankhar has diminished its stature by acting more as a spokesperson for the government rather than maintaining neutrality.
The notice was met with strong condemnation from the government. It accused the Congress of introducing the motion to deflect attention from the party’s alleged connections with Hungarian-American billionaire George Soros, who is accused by the government of having an anti-India agenda.
The no-confidence motion reflects the growing tensions between the ruling government and the opposition, with the role of the Rajya Sabha Chairman becoming a focal point of criticism. If the motion is brought to a vote, it would be a significant event, given the rarity of such motions against the Chairman of the Upper House.
