New Delhi: The Rajya Sabha Chairman and Vice President of India, Jagdeep Dhankhar, today declined a ‘Point of Order’ raised by the Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge that there could be no discussion/reflections in the Upper House of Indian Parliament on or about a Member of the Lok Sabha or anyone who is not a member of the Rajya Sabha.
Kharge had raised the point of order in Rajya Sabha on March 13, 2023, while responding to the assertions of the Leader of the House Piyush Goyal, who demanded an apology for “the shameless way by which a senior leader of the opposition in a foreign country has attacked the democracy of India, insulted the Parliament of India”.
While Goyal did not name anyone, (although it implied Congress leader Rahul Gandhi), he severely impeached what he termed the overseas disparaging remarks by a senior leader of the opposition tainting and tarnishing our Parliament.
Dhankhar said: “After bestowing earnest consideration on this momentous aspect I am of the firm view that there can be no issue or individual beyond the purview of discussion in the Rajya Sabha and the same is exclusively subject to regulation by the House and the Chairman.”
He disclosed that Goyal, “as directed”, had authenticated the assertions made by him in the Rajya Sabha on March 13, 2023, that led to the raising of a Point of Order by Kharge. “The direction for submission of documentation, including electronic, was imparted as this was relevant to the determination of the Point of Order raised by the Hon’ble Leader of Opposition,” Dhankhar said.
Further, the authenticated record made available by Goyal, “bears out that his demand of apology on the overseas statements made by a senior leader of the opposition is factually premised and does not graduate to making ‘allegation of a defamatory or incriminatory nature’”, Dhankhar said. He pointed out that the documentation submitted by the Leader of the House, as per directive, bears out his assertions imparted in Rajya Sabha on March 13, 2023, the same being in consonance with the fact situation.
“In view of categorical and firm constitutional prescriptions, I cannot persuade myself to sustain the point of order raised by the Hon’ble Leader of the Opposition Shri Mallikarjun Kharge…” Dhankhar said and thereby declined the Point of Order.
– global bihari bureau
