After the Parliament was adjourned sine die on Friday, a day before the scheduled end of the session, the Opposition members in the INDIA bloc are planning to move an impeachment motion against Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar over his ‘conduct’ as the chairman of the Rajya Sabha. The development comes after multiple adjournments marred the Rajya Sabha proceedings due to Opposition protests and a verbal spat between INDIA bloc members and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar during the Budget Session of Parliament that ended on Friday. The Parliament session, which started on July 22, was supposed to end on August 12.
Growing acrimony between Dhankhar, Opposition MPs
It should be noted that there was a growing acrimony between Dhankhar and Opposition MPs during the Parliament’s House proceedings. On one occasion, Dhankhar was seen even walking out of the House on August 8 amid Opposition protests over wrestler Vinesh Phogat's disqualification from the Paris Olympics 2024.
Moreover, the Opposition members’ resentment against Dhankhar intensified on Friday following sharp exchanges with the INDIA bloc MPs, including Samajwadi Party Rajya Sabha MP Jaya Bachchan, who questioned the chairman’s ‘tone’ when talking to them.
Notably, Jaya Bachchan protested against Dhankhar's tone and called it ‘unacceptable.’ She also demanded an apology from Dhankhar, who responded, ' You can be a celebrity but accept decorum.'
What is impeachment motion?
As per the Constitutional terms, an impeachment is a process by which a legislative body or other legally constituted tribunal begins charges against a public official for misconduct. In other words, an impeachment motion can be understood as a unique process involving both political and legal elements.
Never before an impeachment motion was passed against any Rajya Sabha Chairman. However, in 2020, over 12 Opposition parties moved a no-confidence resolution against Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh after a showdown in the House. That time, Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu rejected the notice, saying it needed a 14-day notice and that the resolution was not in the proper format.
What Constitution says about moving impeachment motion?
As per the Constitution of India, the vice president, who is the ex-officio chairman of the Rajya Sabha can be removed from his office by a resolution of the Council of States passed by a majority of all the then members of the Council and agreed to by the House of the People.
Moreover, Article 67 of the Constitution says that no resolution for the purpose of this clause shall be moved unless at least fourteen days’ notice has been given of the intention to move the resolution.
In the meantime, the Opposition members want the House to be run by rules and convention and personal remarks against members are unacceptable. Congress's deputy leader in Rajya Sabha Pramod Tiwari claimed that Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge is not allowed to speak, he is frequently interrupted and his microphones are often shut.
