INDIA bloc mulls motion to remove ‘biased’ Dhankhar

The Congress-led INDIA bloc is mulling a motion for the removal of Vice-President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, alleging partisan approach of the Chair in the House of Elders.

A top Congress source confirmed to The Tribune that a resolution was in the process of being drafted and Opposition INDIA bloc MPs in Rajya Sabha were being rallied to support it. Fifty RS MPs must sign for the resolution to be submitted to the Deputy Chairman. The Congress move comes after another wasted day in the Rajya Sabha which was adjourned amid ruckus between the BJP and Congress MPs over ruling party allegations that a senior Congress leader (read Sonia Gandhi) was colluding with Hungarian-American businessman George Soros to “destabilise India”.

In RS, Chairman Dhankhar allowed ruling party MPs led by House leader JP Nadda to speak on the issue, much to the resistance of Congress which challenged the Chairman’s nod without any prior notice by BJP members.

The Congress urged the chair not to be “party to BJP conspiracy”. But Dhankhar said forces within or outside India cannot be allowed to endanger national unity.