'Rose To Occasion As Parliament Was Sacrileged': Veep On MPs' Suspension

Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar justified the suspension of parliamentarians from the Rajya Sabha, calling it "unavoidable" due to their "extreme degree of misconduct" and said he "rose to the occasion" when the temple of democracy was "sacrileged".

In a letter to Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar, Mr Dhankhar voiced his anguish over the "widespread perception of 'politicisation'" of the issue of security breach in parliament on December 13 instead of a display of "collective concern" over the incident.

"When the temple of democracy is sacrileged, surely, you'd agree as concerned senior parliamentarian, that the chairman has risen to the occasion," he said.

Sharad Pawar had written to the Rajya Sabha Chairman seeking his intervention on the issue of the suspension of members from the House for displaying placards and raising slogans, demanding Home Minister Amit Shah's statement on the security breach in parliament when two protesters jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber and set off smoke canisters.

"With utmost restraint and deference to you and other leaders, there is widespread perception of 'politicisation' of the issue, fully distanced from the need to reflect collective resolve to deal with collective concern," Jagdeep Dhankhar wrote in his letter to Mr Pawar.

"Suspension of members was rendered unavoidable by their extreme degree of misconduct and continual defiance of direction of Chair," Mr Dhankhar said.