House run by Chair or Shah, asks Kharge over CISF row

The Rajya Sabha on Tuesday witnessed high-decibel protests, sharp political exchanges and an intense face-off over the alleged presence of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel inside the House.

The ruling NDA maintained that only Marshals were deployed, but the Opposition, led by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, strongly objected, calling it an “affront to democracy”.

The commotion began when Deputy Chairman Harivansh criticised the Opposition for releasing a letter written by Kharge to the media. “Such communication between constitutional functionaries must remain confidential,” he said, as he began addressing the House.

He also slammed the Opposition’s repeated disruptions and misuse of Rule 267, saying, “Members are casually invoking Rule 267, and when their notices are not admitted, they choose disruption over discussion.”

Harivansh informed the House that 34 notices under Rule 267 had been received today, most of which were either sub judice or under state jurisdiction. “These do not comply with parliamentary rules,” he said, refusing to admit any of them. This triggered an immediate uproar from the Opposition benches, with Congress MP Jairam Ramesh demanding that the Chair list all rejected notices.

Amid the turmoil, Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge launched a fierce attack on the government, accusing it of deploying paramilitary forces to stifle democratic protest. “If the CISF or any paramilitary force has been called inside the House to silence our voice, it is highly objectionable and violates the core values of democracy,” he said. “We are protesting democratically. This is our right,” Kharge asserted.

He referred to former Leaders of Opposition Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj, saying that even they had defended disruptions as part of democratic expression. “When Jaitley and Sushma were the LoPs, they clearly said that disturbing the House is also part of democracy,” said Kharge, defending the Opposition’s protest as legitimate.

However, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju accused Kharge of “misleading” the House and denied that any CISF personnel were present. “Only Marshals were inside the House. There was no deployment of armed forces. Kharge should clarify why his letter was leaked to the press instead of awaiting a formal response,” Rijiju said.

As Kharge tried to reiterate his charge, the ruling benches and the Chair interrupted him. His sharp jibe —“Is this House being run by the Chair or by Union Home Minister Amit Shah?”, only inflamed the protests further. The Deputy Chairman then called on Leader of the House JP Nadda to respond.

Nadda unleashed a scathing counterattack. “Disrupting proceedings, shouting slogans, abandoning your seat and raising slogans near the microphone when someone speaks, this is not democracy. This is anarchy. I have spent over 40 years in the Opposition. If you want to learn the proper way to protest, take tuition from me. Democracy ends when protests turn into personal disruption,” he said.

Nadda warned that two of the observations by Chair would go on record and “will remain a reference for all time”. He maintained that while dissent is a right, storming another member’s space and shouting slogans is a blatant violation of parliamentary norms.

In defence, DMK MP Tiruchi Siva recalled a powerful historical precedent. “Parliament is a place for debate, not suppression. I remind the House of a day after Bhagat Singh threw a bomb in the Central Legislative Assembly, Vittalbhai Patel, then Chair, asked the Home Member to remove security forces or leave. That is how parliamentary dignity is upheld,” he said.

As sloganeering continued from the Opposition benches, Deputy Chairman Harivansh finally adjourned the House till 2 pm.