DMK MP Turchi Siva slams BJP, accuses Rajya Sabha Chairman of undermining democracy

Turchi Siva hit back at the BJP's alleged attack on democracy, saying, "There's a blatant attack on the democracy of this country in Parliament by the ruling party, and they are guarded by the Chair, which is a very sad thing. We have experienced in the past, when the BJP was in the opposition and when Congress was also in the opposition, that whenever the Opposition Leader stands up to speak or offers to speak, the floor is immediately given to the Opposition Leader, and no one interrupts. What is going on in the country is that we are not allowed to speak at all. This means it is a blow to parliamentary democracy and the democracy of this country."

Earlier in the day, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, along with other opposition leaders, lashed out at Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, alleging bias and political favouritism, while accusing him of acting as a 'spokesperson' for the government in pursuit of his next 'promotion.' They also claimed that the Vice President's actions have damaged the dignity of the Upper House of Parliament.

The remarks from the opposition came after the Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day amid a faceoff between the BJP-led central government and the Opposition over the no-confidence motion against RS Chairman and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar. The Opposition's INDIA bloc submitted the no-confidence motion on Tuesday to the Secretary-General of the Upper House. Congress, along with the INDIA bloc, has been demanding a discussion on the Adani issue and also held a protest on Parliament premises.

Speaking on the matter in a press briefing, Kharge said, "The Vice President is the second biggest constitutional post in India. Since 1952, no resolution has been brought to remove the Vice President as they have always been unbiased and beyond politics. They always ran the House as per the rules. But today, there is more politics than rules in the House."

Kharge accused the Chairman of partiality in conducting proceedings. "He (RS Chairman) does schooling like a headmaster. From the opposition side, whenever important issues are raised as per rules, the chairman doesn't allow the discussion to proceed in a planned way. Time and again, opposition leaders are stopped from speaking," the Congress President added.

The Congress leader further alleged that the Chairman's loyalty lies with the ruling BJP rather than the Constitution. "His (RS Chairman) fidelity is towards the ruling party instead of the Constitution and constitutional tradition. He is working as a spokesperson for the government for his next promotion. I have no hesitation in saying that the biggest disruptor in Rajya Sabha is the Chairman himself," Kharge said.

Kharge also accused the Rajya Sabha Chairman of damaging parliamentary dignity, which he claimed was the primary reason for the no-confidence motion. "His behaviour (RS Chairman) has damaged the dignity of the country. He has brought such a situation in the history of parliamentary democracy that we had to bring this notice for the resolution (of no-confidence). We have no personal enmity or political fight with him. We want to tell the countrymen that we have taken this step to safeguard democracy, the Constitution, and after giving it a lot of thought," Kharge stressed.

Further speaking on the INDIA bloc's no-confidence motion, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Manoj Jha said, "It's not about an individual but about the restoration of the core principles of democracy. If you have seen the proceedings of the last two days, the language used by a few people, for whom we had respect, not only pains us but also makes us wonder--if there is a regime change in the days to come, will we be able to repair and restore democracy?"

Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal also slammed the ruling BJP for politicizing the proceedings of the House amid the Opposition's no-confidence motion. Speaking to ANI, Sibal said, "The point is that what we are seeing played out in the House is politics. We don't need to go into what one party said over the other. We only need to see the proceedings of the House. What is happening in the House is only politics. The people of India should know where the Rajya Sabha Chairman stands. For that, you just need to see the proceedings of Parliament. They (BJP) will not allow the Opposition's no-confidence motion against the Rajya Sabha Chairman to be moved. They will reject it. And that is politics." (ANI)