The Rajya Sabha failed to hold a debate on Manipur despite prolonged argument between the treasury and Opposition on the various rule positions under which it should be held. The monsoon session ended with suspension of AAP member Raghav Chadha and passing another resolution extending the suspension of AAP’s floor leader Sanjay Singh.
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The House bid farewell to five members (out of the nine members retiring this month, four have been re-elected) but even the farewell speeches were marked by political potshots. The first adjournment came when BJP’s Kirodi Lal Meena interrupted the farewell speeches to speak on the allegedly deteriorating law and order situation in Rajasthan. The Opposition benches erupted at this and amidst shouting match between the two sides, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar adjourned the proceedings for half an hour till noon. When the House reconvened, the Opposition members tried to start a debate on Manipur, but Mr. Dhankhar chided them. “Had you [the Opposition] agreed to the Chair on July 20 [on a short-duration discussion on the issue], then this situation would not have come,” Mr. Dhankhar said. There was a detailed discussion on the Manipur issue in the Lok Sabha and it could have been possible here as well but “you missed that opportunity”, the Chairman said. The House was adjourned till 2 p.m.
Parliament Monsoon Session Updates
Moves two motions
With no sign of a debate on Manipur, the Opposition boycotted the post lunch session. In their absence, Leader of the House Piyush Goyal moved two separate motions to suspend Mr. Chadha and to extend the suspension of Mr. Singh. Mr. Singh was under suspension till the end of the Monsoon Session. Mr. Dhankhar said the privileges committee would examine the misconduct of both the MPs and they would remain under suspension till the House considered the reports of the panel.
Moving the motions, Mr. Goyal listed the “misconduct” of both the MPs. The charge against Mr. Chadha was that he moved a motion to send the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill to a select committee and without even contacting them, he proposed names of several members to the panel. Mr. Goyal said the MPs could have even lost their membership for disobeying whips issued by their respective parties had the House passed Mr. Chadha’s motion. Mr. Singh, the leader of the House said, even after suspension refused to vacate the House and criticised the Chair’s decision outside the House. He added that it was gross violation of rules, misconduct, defiant attitude and contemptuous conduct from the part of the AAP members.
The motion was passed by a voice vote.