Opposition MPs walk out of Rajya Sabha after Mallikarjun Kharge denied permission to speak on Vinesh Phogat

New Delhi: Opposition members in Rajya Sabha shouted slogans demanding justice for wrestler Vinesh Phogat, who was disqualified from the Paris Olympics after being found overweight ahead of her 50kg final match, and walked out of the House after they were denied permission to speak on the issue.

Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar criticised the conduct of opposition members, including Leader of Opposition (LoP) Mallikarjun Kharge, accusing them of "challenging" the authority of the chair and "walking out on their constitutional duty".

During the discussion on Appropriation (No 2) Bill 2024 and Jammu and Kashmir Appropriation (No 3) Bill, 2024, the opposition members kept sloganeering demanding justice for Phogat but Dhankar said nothing would go on record.

Phogat was at the forefront of a lengthy protest by a section of wrestlers who had alleged government inaction against former Wrestling Federation of India head Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, accused of sexual harassment by women wrestlers.

Kharge said he wants to speak with the chair's permission on an issue to which Dhankar responded that he had declined the permission and the debate would continue.

Dhankar said that LoP wanted the chair to interrupt the debate without taking recourse to any rule and shared his message seeking permission to take the floor without spelling out the issue.

After the members walked out, Dhankar said their act was "indecorous, undignified, challenging the authority of chair".

"An LoP, an important fulcrum in Parliamentary democracy... so painful. I have no words to take exception to such kind of conduct," Dhankar said He said the kind of sloganeering seen in the House is not resorted to even in the worst of the situation.

Dhankar said that he had sent a blank paper to the LoP to mention his subject on which he wanted to speak.

"Shri Pramod Tiwari is seated next to the LoP and is a deputy leader of the main opposition party. They ruled this country for quite long and should be fully in the know of rules of procedure, rules of conduct," he said.

Dhankar read out the note which mentioned the LoP's request to raise an emergent issue impacting countrymen and a short intervention time.

"Nothing is spelt out. This kind of approach is to take the platform only to earn brownie political points. This is a very important theatre of dialogue, debate and discussion. I take an exceptional stance towards a trend that is emerging to challenge the chair every time," he said.

Dhankar said the people of the country will be shocked at the conduct of the MPs sent to Rajya Sabha to show responsibility and respect for the constitution.

"What we saw was beyond anything. In challenging the authority of the chair, trying to make it free fall for everyone. For the Leader of Opposition to be doing so, it is painful," Dhankar said.

The Rajya Sabha Chairman said no institution or society will bear "unruly conduct".

"These are dangerous practices that threaten the very fundamentals of democracy. Trust me, if we don't search our soul, we do not counsel our friends, we will be doing the greatest disservice to democracy.

"If LoP can be the epicentre of it, what could be more painful than this? Whomsoever sits in the chair has to be respected," Dhankar said.

He said that all parties that have walked out of the House have done it without rationally examining the damage they have done to the House.

"To engage day in and day out to run down the authority of the chair, to take the chair light-heartedly. Through each of you, I wish to finally appeal to them, they must reflect, they must introspect, they must search their soul...," Dhankar said.

The Rajya Sabha chairman expressed "deep pain" over the conduct of the opposition members and said that those who walked out from the House had walked out of their constitutional duty.

During the discussion, Dhankar and Congress member Jairam Ramesh also clashed following the chairman's remark on the one-rank one-pension (OROP) scheme.

Tiwari said Rs 1.41 lakh crore is paid to forces for OROP to which Dhankar said that the amount is beyond the amount they were getting earlier.

“There was a government which allocated Rs 500 crore for it,” Dhankar said, in an apparent reference to the previous UPA dispensation.

Ramesh objected to the comment by the chair to which Dhankar said that he mentioned something that is already in Parliament records.

“Here is a member who has no qualms in calling the chairman a spokesperson of a political party. Don't force me to see that you (Ramesh) follow protocol. Ask your friend around. They are very very experienced. They will tell you what mistakes you have committed today. Because of your mistake, I have been forced to take recourse to a budgetary provision. I am the last person to get into that area,” Dhankar said.

During the discussion, AIADMK member M Thambidurai asked the government about the status of action in the 2G scam case which according to a CAG report caused a notional loss of Rs 1.76 lakh crore to the exchequer under the previous UPA regime.

Trinamool Congress member Jawhar Sircar said 70 per cent of the PLI (production-linked incentive) scheme has gone only to Gujarat which "gets all the central investment, bank credit".

He alleged the Centre is choking state loans.

Trinamool Congress member Md Nadimul Haque and BJP member Arun Singh also participated in the discussion.