Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar condemned Congress leader P Chidambaram on Saturday for his comment that the three new criminal laws were "drafted by part-timers", labelling it as "inexcusable". Appealing to him, He directed to withdraw his "derogatory, defamatory and insulting" observation about the Members of Parliament (MPs). Dhankhar expressed his dismay, saying that he was "shocked beyond words" upon reading the interview of Chidambaram with a major national daily. In the interview, Chidambaram claimed, "The new laws were drafted by part-timers," news agency PTI reported.
"Are we part-timers in the Parliament? It is an inexcusable insult to the wisdom of the Parliament... I do not have words strong enough to condemn such a narrative being set afloat and an MP being labelled as a part-timer," the Vice President said while addressing the 12th convocation of the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST).
"I appeal to him (Chidambaram) from this platform, please withdraw this derogatory, defamatory and highly insulting observations about the Members of Parliament (MPs). I hope he does it," he added.
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Dhankhar also cautioned that "when informed minds knowingly lead you astray, we need to be on guard". "This morning, when I read a paper, an informed mind, who had been the Finance Minister of this country, a Parliamentarian for a long and currently a member of the Rajya Sabha, stunned me," the VP also said.
'From Dand Vidhan To Nyay Vidhan': Dhankar Applauds Parliament For Criminal Laws
Dhankhar praised the Parliament for breaking away from the old colonial legacy and introducing three significant laws, referring to them as "epochal dimensions" changes from penal law to a law of justice. "From Dand Vidhan (penal law) we have come to Nyay Vidhan (law of justice)," he added.
He pointed out that every MP had the chance to contribute when the three laws; Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and Bharatiya Saksha Adhiniyam were being debated in the House. "With a heavy heart, I am sharing with you, that this honourable gentleman, a distinguished member of Parliament who has a great background as finance minister, did not use his lung power. He gave total rest to his vocal chords while debate was going on," he remarked.
It must be noted that over 100 Opposition MPs were suspended en mass when the three criminal laws were brought to Parliament for passage in December last year.
Dhankhar held Chidambaram accountable for his failure to do his duty in the past and criticised other legal professionals for not contributing to the parliamentary discussions. He also emphasised that such failures should not be overlooked, PTI reported.
The VP further asserted that apart from Chidambaram, other colleagues from the legal fraternity, including senior advocates, "did not come forward to help the nation". "They had an opportunity to make this point in the Parliament. It was a failure on his (Chidambaram) part to perform his constitutional duty and obligation. How can we countenance such a man, speaking in high decibel, trying to seek resonance from the people only to unsettle the mechanism."
"I am shocked beyond words and therefore, please beware of the minds who deliberately, as a strategy, by way of a narrative, try to run down our nation, demean our institutions and taint our progress. They do not see the writing on the wall and engage in criticism just for the sake of it," Dhankhar said.