Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar has referred to a Parliamentary committee to look into the "alleged breach of privilege" by 12 MPs from the Congress and the AAP for repeatedly entering the Well of the House, shouting slogans and obstructing the House.
Dhankhar has also referred another breach of privilege case against AAP leader Sanjay Singh for repeatedly submitting identical notices to suspend business of the House to discuss the Adani Group issue.
According to Bulletin-II on February 18, the Rajya Sabha Secretariat said, the Chairman has referred a question of the alleged breach of privilege "arising out of gross disorderly conduct in violation of rules and etiquette of Rajya Sabha by repeatedly entering the well of the council, shouting slogans and persistently and wilfully obstructing the proceedings of the council, compelling the Chair to repeatedly adjourn the sittings of the Council".
Of the 12 MPs named in the bulletin, nine are from Congress and the rest three are from AAP. The MPs from Congress are Shaktisinh Gohil, Naranbhai J Rathwa, Syed Nasir Hussain, Kumar Ketkar, Imran Prattapgarhi, L Hanumanthaiah, Phulo Devi Netam, Jebi Mather Hisham and Ranjeet Ranjan. From AAP, Singh, Sushil Kumar Gupta and Sandeep Kumar Pathak are named.
Officials said the Chairman's action came after complaints from some MPs about frequent disruptions by some MPs. "As Members can't directly make complaints to Privilege Committee, so the matter came before the Chair, who as per rule, referred it to Privilege Committee to examine, investigate and report," they said
While the bulletin has not mentioned details, Rajya Sabha has witnessed protests and repeated disruptions by Opposition MPs on the Adani Group issue.
In a separate notice, the Secretariat said that the Chairman has referred a question of an alleged breach of privilege "arising out of non-adherence to the directions of the Chair vis-a-vis repeated submission of identical notices" under rule 267 by Singh to the Privileges Committee.
Dhankhar had earlier referred the issue of the video of the Rajya Sabha proceedings of February 9 by Congress MP Rajani Patil and giving it to others and publishing it on social media to the privileges panel. Patil was suspended till the end of the Budget Session.