TMC MP Sagarika Ghose
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: The Opposition on Thursday brought Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju in the line of fire with Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha Deputy Leader Sagarika Ghose submitting a notice of breach of privilege against him for his remarks that Opposition MPs were not worthy of being in Parliament.
Rijiju made the comments in Rajya Sabha during Wednesday's Zero Hour while attacking the Opposition for submitting a notice to remove Dhankhar from the post of Vice-President, who is also the Chairman of Rajya Sabha, accusing him of partisan behaviour while running the House.
Around 50-60 Opposition MPs in Rajya Sabha have signed and endorsed Ghose's notice, which was submitted to the Secretariat earlier in the day.
"The Minister of Parliamentary Affairs instead of doing his best efforts to run the House has chosen to repeatedly insult the Opposition. Yesterday in the House, addressing the Opposition, he said you all are not worthy of being in this House. He is using personal terms against Opposition MPs inside and outside the Parliament," Ghose said after submitting the notice.
Rijiju's behaviour is "totally unbecoming and unacceptable" and a "clear misuse" of his office. It is in these circumstances that a privilege notice was submitted on charges of "abusing" MPs through "continuous diatribe and unparliamentary language" against Opposition MPs, she said.
Opposition MPs are "not worthy of being in the House...If you cannot respect the chair you have no right to be a member of this House," Rijiju said on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, the Opposition I.N.D.I.A. MPs have submitted a notice to remove Dhankhar from his post earlier this week for his “extremely partisan” conduct as Rajya Sabha Chairman and “repeatedly acting” in a manner that “reduces” his position to that of a “mere spokesman” of the government.
I.N.D.I.A. parties on Wednesday intensified the attack on the Rajya Sabha Chairman with Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge claiming that Dhankhar has become a “spokesperson of the government” for his “next promotion” and that he is the “biggest disruptor” in the Upper House.