New Delhi: Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar Tuesday asked Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Derek O’Brien to leave Parliament during the ongoing Monsoon session because of “unruly behaviour”.
Following a heated exchange between Dhankhar O’Brien, the upper house was adjourned till 12 noon amid massive ruckus over the Manipur violence issue.
“Let me inform the house that I will reluctantly take a very strong view if a member seeks to raise a point of order and then does not raise the point of order but… one second, listen to me… why are you upset? It is time that we keep our composure,” said Dhankar.
“If you rise to raise a point of order — and I’m saying so because your past is proof of it — raise a point of order, don’t make a speech on that. You will rise, you will not raise a point of order, you will not wait for my ruling and you will occupy space, that can’t be done. If you are sure there is a point of order then go the rule book approach, textbook approach. Tell me under which rule are you raising a point of order,” he added.
To this Derek O’Brien replied, “the rule is on page 92, (rule number) 267, the leader of the opposition has been asking for a discussion on Manipur, you allow the discussion on Manipur, that’s my point of order”.
Following this Dhankar then got up from his seat and asked O’Brien to leave the House.
Leader of the House Piyush Goyal moved a motion for his suspension “for continuously and willfully disturbing the proceedings of the House, for disobeying the Chair and continuously creating disturbance in the House”.
However, voting on the motion did not take place since the house was adjourned. When the session resumed, Dhankhar, addressing the members in the late half of the session, said he is “yet to conclude on the matter”.
“This is too serious a matter for me to be overruled…. I did not take the sense of the house earlier. If I had really fructified the process, Mr Derek O’Brien would have been out of the house. In my wisdom, I thought I must not take it to that conclusion at that point of time. But when I gave him an opportunity again the conduct, (that) is for all of you to see. Honourable members, I am yet to conclude on Mr Derek O’Brien,” Dhankar said.
Union Minister Piyush Goyal also demanded an apology from Derek O’Brien and said he needs to be more “courteous”. “I appreciate the magnanimity shown by the Chair that despite my moving the motion you did not go to the extreme step and I, with full respect of the magnanimity shown by the Chair, would urge the members that let us all agree to maintain decorum. The least that can be expected of Mr O’Brien is that he expresses regret to the Chair particularly when the Chair is hurt on this issue and let us try and move forward,” Goyal said.
The TMC later tweeted: “We did not bend, they did not suspend!… MP @derekobrienmp stands strong”
We did not bend, they did not suspend!
MP @derekobrienmp stands strong, undeterred by @BJP4India's authoritarian attempts to silence dissenting voices.
We will continue to fight until justice is served to Manipur. Our commitment to people's rights shall remain unwavering!
— All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) August 8, 2023
Ahead of the Rajya Sabha session, Derek O’Brien had urged the Prime Minister to come to the Upper House.
19 days PM @narendramodi has been MISSING IN #Parliament
It’s taken the rules of a No Confidence Motion to FINALLY DRAG PM to Lok Sabha.
And in #RajyaSabha what’s stopping this heartless government from starting the discussion on #Manipur TODAY AUG 8 at 11 am. Let’s begin
— Derek O'Brien | ডেরেক ও'ব্রায়েন (@derekobrienmp) August 8, 2023
Earlier, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sanjay Singh was also suspended from the Rajya Sabha for the remainder of the monsoon session of Parliament for repeatedly “violating” the directives of the chair.
This is an updated version of the story.
(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri)
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