RS: Dhankhar walks out amid Oppn protest over Phogat disqualification

Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar walked out of the House on Thursday amid demands from the opposition benches to discuss wrestler Vinesh Phogat’s disqualification from the Paris Olympics.

An upset Dhankhar lamented the lack of respect for the House Chair.

“It is not me... but the post of the Chairperson that is being challenged... it is being challenged because people think the person sitting in the chair is not worthy...” Dhankhar began.

Dhankhar left the House after heated clashes with TMC leader and some other Opposition MPs who were not permitted to raise the issue of disqualification of Vinesh Phogat.

Trouble began in the morning session when Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge sought to raise the Phogat disqualification issue but Chairman Dhankhar did not allow it.

This followed an angry exchange between the Chair and TMC leader Derek O’Brien.

“It is an important issue. It is not an issue of a particular individual,” Kharge said soon after the listed papers were tabled in the House. He wanted to know “who is behind” the disqualification.

However, Dhankhar did not allow Kharge to raise the issue and went ahead with the scheduled Zero Hour listings.