Parliament risks sliding into irrelevance, says Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on continued disruption

Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar criticizes Rajya Sabha members for disrupting the House, warning of parliament's slide into irrelevance.

Chiding the Rajya Sabha members for disrupting the House for three days, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said that straying from its constitutional duty to represent people’s hopes and aspirations parliament risks sliding into irrelevance.

His comments came minutes before he adjourned the House of the day. Minutes after the house sat down for business, Mr. Dhankhar informed that 16 notices under Rule 267 seeking suspension of the business of the day to discuss the subject of their notice, have been moved. Seven of these notices were regarding “allegation of corruption against the Adani group”, six of them on “recent violence in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh,” and three of them about “alarming and continued violence in Manipur”. Mr. Dhankhar rejected the notices, inviting uproar from the Opposition. Chair can be convinced, Mr. Dhankhar said, only by “exhibiting the highest standard of conformance to the rules.” He adjourned the house till 12:00 noon.

When the house reassembled, the Opposition continued with its protest. Exhorting them to bring the house into order, Mr. Chairman, said that the Rajya Sabha had missed a historic opportunity. “Yesterday marked a historic milestone - the beginning of the final quarter-century before our Constitution turns 100.

This was a moment for our House of Elders, guided by the spirit of nationalism, to send a powerful message of hope to 1.4 billion people, reaffirming our commitment to their dreams and aspirations and our journey towards Vikasit Bharat (Developed India) in 2047,” Mr. Dhankhar said. The Chairman the house fell short of people’s expectation, since it has failed to have “productive dialogue, constructive engagement echoing the collective aspirations of our people”.

Parliamentary disruption, Mr. Dhankhar noted, is not a “remedy, it’s a malady”. “It weakens our foundation. It slides parliament into irrelevance. We must continue to have our relevance. When we engage in this kind of conduct, we deviate from constitutional ordainment. We show our back to our duties,” Mr. Dhankhar said.