Kruti Dave, Pune
On Tuesday, TMC member Derek O’Brien and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar engaged in a heated dispute in the House. As a result, Leader of the House Piyush Goyal moved to suspend O’Brien for the remainder of the Monsoon Session. The leader of the Trinamool Congress could watch the proceedings because the proposal was not put to a vote.
Jagdeep Dhankhar, the Chairman, said he deliberately decided not to take the House’s position on the motion to suspend Mr O’Brien. He asserted that if the suspense procedure had been completed, the TMC MP would not have been permitted to return to the Rajya Sabha that day.
Earlier in the day, Mr O’Brien attempted to speak during the proceedings by claiming to have a point of order. The opposition has been asking for a discussion on the Manipur issue under Rule 267 since the Monsoon session began on July 20, and the TMC leader responded when the Chairman asked him which rule he wanted to talk on.
Until the end of the Monsoon session, which concludes on August 11, Mr. Dhankhar said Derek O’Brien had been placed on administrative leave.
At 11.25 am, Mr. Dhankhar urged the TMC MP to leave the house immediately. He then called for a noontime break in the Rajya Sabha. Mr. O’Brien was there when the House met again at midday. The suspension of the TMC leader was a concern that Congress MP Pramod Tiwari sought to bring up.
“I cannot be overturned on this topic; it is too important. I decided against following the House’s earlier sense after careful consideration. Derek O’Brien would not have become a House member if I had fructified the process. In my wisdom, I decided that I shouldn’t draw that conclusion at that moment,” Mr. Dhankhar was reported as saying by the news agency ANI.
According to Piyush Goyal, Mr. O’Brien has a history of engaging in “such behavior,” including banging desks and shouting at chairs. The Chairman, according to Mr. Goyal, displayed generosity. Let’s agree to uphold decency. At the very least, Derek O’Brien should apologise to the chair, as the minister said in the ANI article.
After the TMC member refused to limit his remarks to the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023 and launched a barrage of criticisms against the federal government, Mr. Dhankhar lost his cool and erupted in an outburst.
The TMC MP accused the Chairman of “engaging in theatrics” frequently, prompting Mr. O’Brien to strongly disagree. He claimed he merely cited the House rules and called for a serious discussion on Manipur.