Dangerous precedent, says Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Oppn walkout

Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Wednesday sharply criticised opposition parties for walking out of the House during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech, saying the Opposition had set a “dangerous precedent antithetical to democratic values”

“Their walkout today was extremely painful. It was a historic occasion. The government was in its third term with the prime minister heading it continually after six decades. They walked away from their constitutional ordainment and that has set a dangerous precedent antithetical to democratic values,” Dhankhar said, a reference to the walkout during PM Modi’s reply to the debate on the motion to thank the President’s address in the Rajya Sabha earlier in the day.

“They have challenged the Constitution, outraged its spirit, and disregarded their oath. I am saddened sitting in this chair; the Constitution has been disrespected… The Constitution is not a book to keep in hands; it’s a book to live by,” he added.

MPs of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc led by the Congress walked out of the Rajya Sabha after Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge was not allowed to intervene during PM Modi’s speech.

Nationalist Congress Party-SCP chief Sharad Pawar later explained the decision. “Mallikarjun Kharge is on a constitutional post. Be it the PM or the chairman of the House, it is their responsibility to respect him. But today, it was all ignored and hence the entire opposition is with him and we walked out,” Pawar told reporters, according to news agency ANI.

Dhankhar condemned the walkout, saying this was an insult to the Constitution. He again referred to the walkout while making his concluding remarks at the end of the 264th session of Rajya Sabha.

“I requested and allowed the Leader of the Opposition to speak without any objections. But today, they have not just left the House; they have abandoned its dignity. They have not just turned their backs on the chair, but on the Constitution itself.”

Dhankar also pointed out the instance of Kharge entering the Well of the Rajya Sabha on Friday. “It was extremely painful to notice that even the Leader of the Opposition walked into the Well of the House and that was a disgrace to parliamentary conduct and proprietary.”He asked the members of the House to “exemplify their conduct so that this becomes a temple for deliberations, discussion, dialogue and debate,” he said.