9/22/2020 Opp submits unprecedented resolution: Deputy Chairman has to be removed | India News,The Indian Express

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Home /  India /  Opp submits unprecedented Sign
resolution: Deputy Chairman has toin
be removed

Opp submits unprecedented

resolution: Deputy Chairman
has to be removed
Addressing a press conference later, Congress MP K C Venugopal alleged that
BJP MPs were seen “whispering in the ears” of the Deputy Chairman and
demanded to know what “conspiracy” had transpired.

W ritten by Manoj C G | New Delhi | Updated: September 21, 2020 9:17:31 am

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9/22/2020 Opp submits unprecedented resolution: Deputy Chairman has to be removed | India News,The Indian Express

Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh conducts proceedings in Rajya Sabha. (PTI)

In an unprecedented move, as many as 12 Opposition parties came together

Sunday to submit a no-confidence resolution seeking the removal of Rajya Sabha
Deputy Chairman Harivansh. The move followed uproar in the House over his
decision to extend the session beyond the scheduled 1 pm while overruling
Opposition pleas to continue discussions on the contentious Farm Bills the next
day.

In a counter move, the government is likely to seek the suspension of Opposition

MPs who were involved in the unruly scenes witnessed in the House. Sources said
the government could invoke Rule 256, which deals with the suspension of a
member.

“But the final decision rests with the Chairman. The BJP could also move a
privilege motion against some of the Opposition MPs,” sources said. Several Union
Ministers later met Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu and discussed the
ruckus in the House, they said.

Read | Mic broken, papers thrown: Amid major ruckus, two farm bills passed
in Rajya Sabha

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9/22/2020 Opp submits unprecedented resolution: Deputy Chairman has to be removed | India News,The Indian Express

The Opposition resolution stated: “The Deputy Chairman has violated all the
canons of law, procedure, parliamentary procedures, practices and fair play.
Today, the Deputy Chairman did not allow points of order to be raised, did not
allow large numbers of members of Rajya Sabha from diverse political parties
opposing the anti-farmer bill…even to speak.”

It said that the Opposition parties have “no confidence” in the Deputy Chairman,
“hereby move this motion for his removal”, and that he cannot “preside over the
House” till a decision on their motion is taken. Among the parties that backed the
resolution, which was drafted by lawyer-MPs Abhishek Singhvi and K T S Tulsi,
were the Congress, TMC, DMK, CPM, CPI, RJD, AAP, TRS, SP, IUML and Kerala
Congress (M).

Addressing a press conference later, Congress MP K C Venugopal alleged that BJP

MPs were seen “whispering in the ears” of the Deputy Chairman and demanded
to know what “conspiracy” had transpired.

Asked about the government’s possible counter move, Trinamool Congress MP

Derek O’Brien told The Indian Express: “If the Chairman is thinking of
suspending MPs, the first people who should be suspended are all those Cabinet
Ministers who were there, who were murdering democracy. They were breaking
all the rules.” At least one Congress MP told The Indian Express that he was ready
to face suspension.

Also Read | Opp, states see new faultline: Centre usurps powers, weakens
federalism

The rules say that “a member holding office as Deputy Chairman of the Rajya
Sabha may be removed from his office by a resolution of the Rajya Sabha passed
by a majority of all the then members of the Rajya Sabha; but the resolution can
be moved only when at least fourteen days’ notice has been given of the intention
of moving”.

The Opposition move was described as “unprecedented” by Parliament veterans.

“As far as I can remember, there has been no instance of a no-confidence motion

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9/22/2020 Opp submits unprecedented resolution: Deputy Chairman has to be removed | India News,The Indian Express

against the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha,” P D T Achari, former Secretary
General of the Lok Sabha, told The Indian Express.

The Opposition motion said: “Appropriate precedents in this regard are available
in several treatises, including the ‘Practice and Procedure of Parliament by M N
Kaul and S L Shakdher’ seventh edition…and Article 90 of the Constitution.”

The precedents cited from the book by the Opposition include resolutions moved
against the first Lok Sabha Speaker G V Mavalankar in 1951, Speaker Sardar
Hukam Singh in 1966 and Speaker Balram Jakhar in 1987. It says “at the sitting
of Lok Sabha, while any resolution for the removal of the Speaker or the Deputy
Speaker from his office is under consideration, the Speaker or the Deputy
Speaker, as the case may be, cannot preside even though he is present in the
House”.

Incidentally, the resolution against Mavalankar came up for discussion in 1954

and was negated by the House after a discussion. The other two resolutions were
also discussed and negated by the House.

Article 90 deals with “vacation and resignation of, and removal from, the office of
Deputy Chairman a member holding office as Deputy Chairman of the Council of
States”.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Venugopal said: “Without taking the sense of the
House, the Deputy Chairman went for passing the Bills. We haven’t seen such a
practice before…The Treasury benches came with a pre-fixed mind. They were
not ready to listen to the agony of the farmer, the Opposition voice, they were not
ready to have a division (of votes).”

He said: “Surprisingly, we witnessed BJP members going to the Deputy Chairman

and they were whispering in his ears. Parliamentary Affairs Minister goes
there…understandable. But BJP member Bhupender Yadav was whispering in
the ears of the Deputy Chairman. What conspiracy transpired? This is
unacceptable Parliamentary democratic procedures.”

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9/22/2020 Opp submits unprecedented resolution: Deputy Chairman has to be removed | India News,The Indian Express

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