New Delhi: The Congress-led INDIA opposition bloc moved a no-confidence motion against Rajya Sabha Chairperson Jagdeep Dhankhar Tuesday morning, alleging partisan functioning of the House.
The notice - with 50+ signatures by MPs from the Congress, Bengal's ruling Trinamool, the Aam Aadmi Party of Arvind Kejriwal, Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party, Tamil Nadu's Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, and the Rashtriya Janata Dal of Lalu Yadav - was submitted to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat.
"ALL parties belonging to the INDIA group have had no option but formally submit a no-confidence motion against Chairman of the Rajya Sabha for the extremely partisan manner in which he has been conducting proceedings of the Council of States," the Congress' Jairam Ramesh said on X.
"It has been a very painful decision for the INDIA parties to take, but in the interests of parliamentary democracy they have had to take this step," he said.
Trinamool MP Sagarika Ghosh was more forceful in her remarks; she accused the government of "murdering Parliament" and said, "In pursuit of our rights, in order to protect parliamentary democracy, we have given in our resolution of no-confidence... we are not being allowed to raise people's issues."
Can The Motion Succeed?
Unlikely, as sources in the Trinamool told NDTV, noting the opposition does not have numbers to carry the proposal in the Rajya Sabha, never mind the Lok Sabha. This has not, however, deterred the opposition, which sources said acted on principle rather than hopes of success.
According to the rules, the motion to remove Mr Dhankar must be passed by a simple majority - i.e., 50 per cent + one - of voting Rajya Sabha MPs. It must then pass the Lok Sabha by a similar margin.
And since the opposition does not have a clear majority, Mr Dhankhar is unlikely to be sacked.
Parliament Adjourned Over Soros-Sonia Gandhi
The notice was submitted shortly after chaos in both Houses - as Bharatiya Janata Party MPs and those from the opposition clashed over various issues, including alleged links between Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and businessman George Soros - prompted Parliament to adjourn for the day.
READ | "Disappointing Conduct": In Huge Parliament Standoff, Speaker Warns Opposition
BJP MPs accused their rivals of not allowing Parliament to function but the opposition hit back by declaring they were not being allowed to raise important issues, such as violence in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal over the survey of a mosque and farmers' Minimum Support Price, MSP, protests.
READ | "Ridiculous, BJP Scared": PGV On Sonia Gandhi-George Soros Links
"We try, every day to have a discussion, but they don't want to have a discussion...that is why they get the House adjourned through any reason," the Congress' Priyanka Gandhi Vadra told reporters.
For the BJP, Union Minister Giriraj Singh declared it was the Congress playing foul. "Why are they not clarifying George Soros' connection with Sonia Gandhi? They are not letting the House run..." he said.
Chaos Over Soros-Congress Links
Calls for a vote against Mr Dhankhar erupted Monday after chaos in the House; this was after the Bharatiya Janata Party attacked Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi over alleged links to businessman George Soros and a media organisation partly funded by his foundation.
The attack - claiming links between Mrs Gandhi and the Democratic Leaders in Asia Pacific Foundation, which has spoken about an independent Kashmir - was led in the Rajya Sabha by JP Nadda, who said the link "maligns India and raises national security concerns. We want a discussion."
READ | BJP's Nadda vs Congress' Kharge Over Soros-Sonia Gandhi Link Claims
Mr Nadda's tirade was rebutted by Mallikarjun Kharge, his Congress counterpart, but that response was cut short by shouting between MPs that led to multiple adjournments.
The Rajya Sabha Chair's handling of this face-off was what triggered the Congress' call for the motion against him; Mr Kharge managed to point out Mr Dhankhar was allowing comments against Mrs Gandhi despite rejecting 11 notices by BJP MPs to discuss this issue.
"What the Leader of the House (referring to Mr Nadda) said is a lie. It is (also) wrong to damage the image of a member who is not present," he said.
And last week the BJP also targeted Rahul Gandhi, calling him a "traitor" and naming him, Mr Soros and "some American agencies" as part of a "triangle trying to destabilise India".
READ | BJP Targets Rahul Gandhi Alleging Soros Link, Congress Cries Foul
The concerted attacks by the BJP come as the opposition tries to raise issues like the violence in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal over the survey of a mosque and the United States indictment against the Directors of Adani Green Energy - a renewable energy company owned by the Adani Group.
It also follows a report by French media company Mediapart that claimed "hidden links between the OCCRP (Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project) and the US government".
The BJP has alleged the Soros-founded OCCRP publishes reports "targeting" India, and that these are then used by the Congress to criticise the ruling party and government, and Indian business interests.
The Congress has just as firmly refuted the claim. "We are patriots..." the party thundered in response.
US On BJP's Claims
Meanwhile, the US government has reacted strongly to the BJP's claims of links between itself - after it emerged it too funds the OCCRP - and attacks on India.
"It is disappointing that the ruling party in India would make these kinds of accusations... the US government works with independent organisations on programming that supports professional development and capacity-building for journalists. This does not influence editorial decisions..." it said.
With input from agencies
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