Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar and Leader of Opposition in the House Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday were seen shouting at each other. The heated exchange began over the no-confidence motion against Dhankhar. The ruckus reached a crescendo, due to which the Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day.
Referring to the no-trust motion, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said, "I am a farmer's son, I will not show weakness. I shall sacrifice my life for my country. You [Opposition] have only one job 24 hours a day — [asking] 'why is a farmer's son sitting here? 'Look what you are saying'. I have tolerated a lot...you have the right to bring in a motion, but you are insulting the Constitution."
Mallikarjun Kharge retorted saying, "You are encouraging the [BJP] members to speak against members of other parties... I am also the son of a farmer. I have faced more challenges than you... You are insulting our party leaders; you are insulting the Congress... We have not come here to listen to your praises; we have come here for discussion..."
The no-confidence motion against Vice-President of India and Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha Jagdeep Dhankhar marked a historic first in Indian parliamentary history. The motion was initiated by the Congress-led Opposition, INDIA bloc, on December 10.
The opposition's decision to file the no-confidence motion followed a few tumultuous sessions in Parliament, characterized by heated exchanges between members of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition. The BJP had accused Congress leaders, particularly Sonia Gandhi, of colluding with businessman George Soros to undermine India's economy and security.
In response, the opposition slammed Dhankhar for allowing BJP members to make statements on these allegations while rejecting numerous notices from them to discuss other pressing issues, such as communal violence and farmers' protests.