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Mallikarjun Kharge slams Jagdeep Dhankhar: ‘RS chairman acts like a school headmaster, functions as govt spokesperson’

Aseem — Wed, 11 Dec 2024 10:18:17 +0000

Since 1952, no resolution has been brought against the Vice President of India, as the Rajya Sabha Chairperson has never indulged in politics, said Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday, a day after the opposition moved a no-confidence motion against the incumbent chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, accusing him of “partisan conduct” during the functioning of the Upper House of Parliament.

“The politics has taken precedence over rules in Rajya Sabha, The chairman has indulged in partisan behaviour. His conduct has been contrary to the post’s dignity, and he targets opposition leaders and often praises the government of the day,” Kharge said, as reported by the news agency PTI.

The 60 Rajya Sabha members representing the Congress-led INDIA blocConstitution of India.

‘Like school headmaster’

“The RS chairman acts like school headmaster and gives sermons to experienced opposition leaders while stopping them from speaking,” Kharge said, adding that the biggest reason for disruptions in Rajya Sabha is the chairman himself. “He’s working as government spokesperson,” the Congress chief said.

The RS chairman acts like a school headmaster and gives sermons to experienced opposition leaders while stopping them from speaking.

The no-confidence motion will likely be taken up in the next session by the Rajya Sabha. According to Article 67 (b), a motion to remove the Vice President from his office requires a 14-day notice of intent from members of the Rajya Sabha who support the resolution. The ongoing winter sessionJagdeep Dhankhar conducts parliamentary affairs of the Rajya Sabha is extremely partisan. It is a matter of record that Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar has repeatedly interrupted members of the opposition while they are speaking, unfairly used privilege motions to silence leaders of the opposition, and openly delegitimised dissent with respect to the actions of the Government in the utmost disparaging manner,” reads the motion.

Nitin Gadkari to The Economist: I don’t aspire to be PM; no one in BJP will ask me

Aseem — Wed, 11 Dec 2024 05:50:20 +0000

Union Minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, Nitin Gadkari has said he does not aspire to become the prime minister of India. Gadkari, the minister of Road Transport and Highways in PM Narendra Modi’s cabinet, said that no one in the saffron party would ask him to take the top job in the future.

In a recent interview with the London-based weekly, The Economist, Gadkari, is referred to as one of the most popular and controversial cabinet ministers in the Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government.

Also Read | Fair price of vehicles to be scrapped will be decided by market forces, no govt intervention: Nitin Gadkari

“When he became the youngest-ever leader of the BJP in 2009, he was hailed as a rising star, only to be ousted four years later because of a tax scandal,” read the piece.

Later cleared of wrongdoing, he rebuilt his reputation as a member of PM Modi‘s cabinet, overseeing a huge expansion of India’s highways. According to The Economist, Gadkari was ‘removed’ from the BJP’s parliamentary board in 2022 amid rumours of tensions with the prime minister.

“Now he is one of the candidates to succeed Modi,” it says, and his chances may have improved with American prosecutors’ allegations against Gautam Adani, Modi’s closest business ally.

Even before those charges became public, Gadkari, The Economist writes, had raised his profile with several controversial public remarks. Some of these remarks were widely seen as oblique criticism of Modi.

“No one is perfect and no one can claim he is perfect,” Gadkari, 67, said in the interview.

Also Read | ’AI to check traffic violations’: Nitin Gadkari proposes road safety solutions

The BJP lost the majority in Lok Sabha for the first time since 2014 in the 2024 general elections. Gadkari attributed this to the opposition falsely promoting that Modi wanted to change India’s secular constitution.

Tolerance integral to India’s political system

But, he said, the BJP erred too, and it needed to communicate better and focus on development, not identity.

“We need to establish a good atmosphere between the parties and between people who have different types of ideology,” he said in the interview.

In September, Gadkari said that the biggest test of democracy is that the king tolerates the strongest opinion against him. The assertion was widely seen directed at PM Modi.

“I am not talking about any person or leader,” Gadkari told The Economist, adding that tolerance and respect are integral to India’s political system. “It doesn’t mean that we are enemies if we are in opposition,” Gadkari said.

“That is the culture of democracy.”

The Economist writes that Modi’s position is not immediately under threat and that opinion polls suggest that Home Minister Amit Shah is the frontrunner. UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is in second place, followed by Gadkari. “But Mr Modi’s successor will be decided by the upper ranks of the BJP and the RSS, not by opinion polls,” the piece reads. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is the ideological mentor of the BJP.

Also Read | Gadkari reviews industry preparedness for launch of ethanol, flex fuel vehicles

Foreign officials see Gadkari as the BJP’s moderate face and by business leaders as a champion of public-private partnership in infrastructure, The Economist wrote

He is liked by some opposition leaders, which helps in coalition building. And his popularity in Maharashtra, including among Muslims, has helped BJP keep control of Nagpur, the Lok Sabha seat that he represents since 2014. His other strength is his relationship with the RSS, headquartered in Nagpur, it said.

In September, Gadkari alleged that an opposition leader offered to make him prime minister if he defected before the election.

When asked if he wants the top job one day, Gadkari said, “I am here, happy. I am doing my work. I do not have any aspiration or ambition to become prime minister.”

“No one is going to ask me, so no question arises,” Gadkari responds to a question about whether the BJP will ask him to be the prime minister.

I am here, happy. I am doing my work. I do not have any aspiration or ambition to become prime minister.

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‘RaGa-Soros ek hain’: BJP links Rahul Gandhi with US billionaire George Soros; ‘slanderous,’ says Congress

Aseem — Fri, 06 Dec 2024 02:39:06 +0000

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) targeted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, with one lawmaker attempting to link the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha with US billionaire George Soros and another calling him a ‘traitor.’ The Congress registered protests over the remarks accusing the BJP of using ‘slanderous’ language against Gandhi.

“Imported agenda, local delivery! RaGa-Soros Ek Hain!” the BJP said in a post on X alongside a portrait showing one half of George Soros and the other half of Rahul Gandhi.

In the Parliament, BJP leader Nishikant Dubey questioned Congress’ ties with individuals associated with the Soros Foundation and foreign figures who have criticised India.

Dubey, the BJP MP, sought to know if Gandhi had connections with forces trying to ‘derail’ India’s growth trajectory.

“Was Salil Shetty not in Bharat Jodo Yatra? Is he not an employee of the Soros Foundation? Did they not meet Ilhan Omar, Barbara Lee, or Ro Khanna, who wrote a letter in America asking to boycott the PM and not address him in Parliament? Don’t they want to create Khalistan and divide Kashmir? They meet all the elements in foreign countries who want to break India. Didn’t they meet Amartya Sen or Harsh Mander who were in NAC, who are all associated with the Soros Foundation?” he asked.

The Winter Session of Parliament$265 million schemeAdani Group US billionaire financier-philanthropist George Soros. These comments come after the 92-year-old Soros said the conglomerate’s troubles would “significantly weaken Modi’s stranglehold on India’s federal government”. The BJP countered that Soros wanted to “destroy” Indian democracy and wanted some “hand-picked” people to run the government.

Several Opposition leaders highlighted Soros’ remarks to take a swipe at the ruling party.

Earlier in the day, BJP Rajya Sabha member Sudhanshu Trivedi alleged there was a concerted effort by “foreign hands” to derail the Viksit Bharat (developed India) agenda.

Sambit Patra launched a scathing attack on Rahul Gandhi, calling him the “traitor of the highest order.” Patra alleged that Gandhi was part of a “triangle” with billionaire George Soros and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) aimed at destabilising India. Patra alleged that Rahul Gandhi and George Soros shared a common goal of destabilising India.

Congress Protests

The comments from the treasury benches triggered protests in the Parliament, with Congress party members jumping into the well of the House, shouting slogans and demanding an apology from Dubey for his comments.

Congress MP Manickam Tagore wrote to Birla, expressing deep concern over Patra using “slanderous language” against Gandhi and sought stringent action against him. Tagore alleged that Patra’s conduct was a “clear violation” of the decorum and ethics expected of a Member of Parliament (MP).