VP can't be cheerleader for any ruling dispensation: Congress hits out at Dhankhar's remarks

Congress has opened a new front against Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar after he targeted Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of rushing to defend the government from which he is constitutionally required to be at arm's length and reminding him that he cannot be "cheerleader for any ruling dispensation".

The party's strong reaction came on Thursday late night, hours after Dhankhar delivered a speech releasing Dr Karan Singh's book at his official residence where he took exception to Rahul's remarks in London that Opposition was denied the opportunity to raise people's issues in Parliament and their mics are switched off when they tried to do so.

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In a statement, Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh said, the Vice President, who is also the Rajya Sabha Chairman, is an "umpire, a referee, a friend, philosopher and guide to all" and he "cannot be a cheerleader" for any ruling dispensation.

"History measures leaders not on the zealousness with which they defended their party, but the dignity with which they performed their roles in the service of the people," he said.

Echoing Rahul's remarks in London, Congress General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal said, "Opposition MPs' mics are routinely switched off, and proceedings reached a new low last session when the Lok Sabha Speaker expunged Rahul Gandhi's allegations on the Adani scam."

He added, "instead of denying something that is out in the public domain, the Vice President should ensure that the Opposition is given ample space to raise issues of public importance, no matter how uncomfortable they make the Modi government."

Ramesh said there are certain offices which require us to "shed our prejudices, our party allegiances and compel us to rid ourselves of whatever propaganda we may have imbibed along the way" and the office of Vice President was one such office is foremost among them.

"The Vice President’s statement on Rahul Gandhi, therefore, was surprising to say the least. He rushed to the defence of a government from which he is constitutionally required to be at arm’s length and in a manner that was both confusing as well as disappointing," he said.

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Ramesh defended Rahul saying that he has not said anything abroad that he has not said in India and unlike some others, that he does not change his stand depending on where he sits. Rahul's statements were "factual and representative of the reality on the ground", he said.

He referred to the breach of privilege notices to 12 Opposition MPs for protesting the "suppression of their voices in Parliament on an issue that is inconvenient to the ruling regime" in the past two weeks as well as media being "blacked out, raided and intimidated to the point that the only voice that is carried is that of the government" over the past eight years.

Ramesh claimed that institutions that maintained a studied distance from the governments of the past are "now subordinated to the point that they choke on any order or find adversarial to the ruling regime".

"Those who dissent are penalised. There may be no declaration of emergency but make no mistake, the actions of this regime are not those of a secure government that respects the Constitution. The Vice President’s remarks on this occasion, as well on certain previous ones, only serve to underscore this point," he said.

"In these times, to be petrified to dissent would be a betrayal of the Constitution and all that our founding fathers fought for. We at the Indian National Congress have been the most consistent voice in Opposition to this regime and will continue to do so," the statement said.