Oppn submits notice for moving no-trust motion against Rajya Sabha Chairperson

Though the Opposition needs a simple majority to get it passed, they do not have the requisite numbers in 243-member House

NEW DELHI: In a first move of its kind, the Congress-led INDIA Opposition bloc on Tuesday moved a no-confidence motion against Rajya Sabha Chairperson and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, alleging "partisan" functioning of the Upper House.

Though the Opposition parties need a simple majority to get it passed, they do not have the requisite numbers in the 243-member House. Opposition members, however, insisted it was a strong message to fight for parliamentary democracy.

On behalf of the Opposition, Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh and Naseer Hussain submitted the notice signed by 60 Opposition MPs—including from the Congress, RJD, TMC, CPI, CPI-M, JMM, AAP, DMK and Samajwadi Party—to Rajya Sabha Secretary General P C Mody. Though there have been differences among the constituents of the INDIA bloc, they have come together to move the no-confidence motion against the Rajya Sabha Chairperson.

This is the first time such a notice against the Vice President has been moved in the Rajya Sabha. A 14-day notice has to be given, and it should be approved by the Deputy Chairman before the motion is taken up.

Notably, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, and the floor leaders of various Opposition parties are not among the signatories to the notice, sources said. Similar notices for removal of the Speaker of Lok Sabha have been submitted in the past, but none against the Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman.

Union minister Kiren Rijiju gave a reality check to the Opposition on their no-confidence motion against the Rajya Sabha chairman, saying the NDA has a majority in the Rajya Sabha.

"The NDA has a majority in Rajya Sabha... The notice must be rejected, will be rejected, and we will Ensure that this kind of action is not accepted,” Rijiju said.