The Rajya Sabha witnessed a heated exchange on the first day of the Winter Session as Congress President and Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge referred to the “unexpected and sudden exit” of former Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar while welcoming the new Chairman, CP Radhakrishnan.
Dhankhar had resigned from his post on July 21, citing health issues, a move Kharge called “unprecedented in the annals of Parliamentary history.”
🗣️ Kharge’s Remarks and Assurances
While congratulating the new Chairman, CP Radhakrishnan, Kharge assured the Opposition’s cooperation but used the moment to stress the need for fairness and to raise questions about the circumstances of the previous Chairman’s departure.
- Custodianship: Kharge emphasized, “The Chairman Rajya Sabha, as the custodian of the House, belongs as much to the opposition as to the government.”
- The Exit: He expressed being “disheartened that this House did not get an opportunity to give him a farewell.”
- Plea for Impartiality: He stressed that “Fair and impartial conduct of proceedings, providing just opportunity to members of each party, is essential for credibility of this office.”
- Congress Link: Kharge also noted that Radhakrishnan is related to former Congress MP CK Kuppuswamy, stating the new Chairman should not forget he is “from a Congress family.”
🔪 BJP’s Sharp Retort
Kharge’s remarks, which also included a veiled attack on PM Modi’s speech outside Parliament, triggered an immediate backlash from the Treasury benches, who accused him of lowering the dignity of the solemn welcoming occasion.
- Kiren Rijiju (Parliamentary Affairs Minister): He slammed Kharge for raising an “unnecessary” issue and reminded the Opposition of the past, saying, “The language you used for the former chairman, the way you insulted him, the motion you served, we still have that copy…”
- JP Nadda (Leader of the House): Intervening to restore decorum, Nadda urged members to maintain the dignity of the occasion. He then took a sharp political jab at the Congress President:“The loss of Bihar…must have given you a lot of pain… But you should express your pain and suffering to a doctor. You should speak to a doctor when the time comes.”
Nadda suggested that Kharge’s remarks about Dhankhar’s exit were merely a means to vent the “pain of losing polls” rather than a genuine concern for parliamentary proceedings, echoing PM Modi’s earlier charge that the Opposition was using Parliament to vent frustration after electoral setbacks.