The turbulent relations between Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar and the INDIA Bloc came to a head on Monday with opposition camp sources saying they are considering submitting a notice “very soon” for moving a resolution to remove the Vice President from his office.
They said the Opposition parties had required signatures from all INDIA Bloc parties in August itself but did not move as they decided to give Dhankhar “another chance but his conduct on Monday” convinced them to go ahead with it. INDIA Bloc parties had in August this year also considered submitting a notice for moving a resolution to remove the Vice President from his office.
Sources said Congress had taken the lead on the issue and the TMC and the Samajwadi Party, besides other INDIA Bloc parties, were supportive of the move. On Monday morning when the Rajya Sabha resumed, Congress MPs Digvijaya Singh, Jairam Ramesh accused Dhankhar of being partisan.
Dhankhar said forces within or outside India cannot be allowed to “sacrilege our unity, integrity and sovereignty”, and asserted that all must unite to neutralise the evolving “deep state”, amid uproar in the Upper House over BJP’s allegations of Congress leaders colluding with billionaire investor George Soros to destabilise the country.
“We cannot afford to overlook such kind of evil designs”, the Chairman said, adding that the 1.4 billion Indians are “extremely concerned”. Earlier in the day, amid disruption in Rajya Sabha, he urged members to adhere to discipline and decorum.
According to Article 67(b) of the Constitution, “Vice-President may be removed from his office by a resolution of the Council of States (Rajya Sabha) passed by a majority of all the then members of the Council and agreed to by the House of the People; but no resolution for the purpose of this clause shall be moved unless at least fourteen days’ notice has been given of the intention to move the resolution.”