A no-confidence motion against Rajya Sabha Chairperson Jagdeep Dhankhar – alleging partisan functioning of the House – appears increasingly likely after Congress leader Ranjeet Ranjan told NDTV the party has the support of more than enough MPs to demand a debate.
Sources had earlier said several INDIA bloc parties – including Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool and Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party, which do not otherwise agree with the Congress’ game-plan for this Parliament session – are also expected to sign the motion.
“50 signatures are required (for the motion to be tabled) but we have got 70. We are confident that we can bring this no-confidence motion against the Rajya Sabha chair.”
The Congress, she said, will also be backed by other opposition parties. “Everyone has come together… what happened inside the House was unfortunate and unprecedented.”
Calls for a vote against Mr Dhankhar erupted Monday after chaos in the Upper House; this was after the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party continued its attack on the Congress and its senior leaders – Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi – over alleged links to American-Hungarian businessman George Soros and a media organisation partly funded by his foundation.
The attack – claiming links between Mrs Gandhi and the Democratic Leaders in Asia Pacific Foundation, which has expressed views on an independent Kashmir – was led in the Rajya Sabha Monday by JP Nadda. The BJP chief declared the link “maligns India’s image and raises concern about national security. Therefore, we want a discussion.”
Mr Nadda’s tirade was rebutted by Mallikarjun Kharge, his Congress counterpart, but that response was cut short by shouting between MPs that led to multiple adjournments.
The Rajya Sabha Chair’s handling of this face-off was what triggered the Congress’ call for the motion against him; Mr Kharge managed to point out Mr Dhankhar was allowing comments against Mrs Gandhi despite rejecting 11 notices by BJP MPs to discuss this issue.
“What the Leader of the House (referring to Mr Nadda) said is a lie. It is (also) wrong to damage the image of a member who is not present,” he said.
And last week the BJP also targeted Rahul Gandhi, calling him a “traitor” and naming him, Mr Soros and “some American agencies” as part of a “triangle trying to destabilise India”.
NDTV News-India-news