Opposition Bloc Moves No-Confidence Motion Against Rajya Sabha Chairperson Jagdeep Dhankhar

The opposition bloc on Tuesday moved a no-confidence motion against Rajya Sabha Chairperson Jagdeep Dhankhar, accusing him of bias in his conduct of the House. The motion, which collected over 50 signatures from MPs representing Congress, Trinamool Congress, Aam Aadmi Party, Samajwadi Party, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, and Rashtriya Janata Dal, was formally submitted to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat.

The motion against Dhankhar was spurred by the events of Monday when the BJP attacked Congress leaders Sonia and Rahul Gandhi over their alleged links to Soros and the Democratic Leaders in Asia Pacific Foundation, an organization partly funded by his foundation. BJP President JP Nadda led the charge in the Rajya Sabha, claiming that these ties were harmful to India’s image and raised national security concerns. He demanded a discussion on the matter.

However, Mallikarjun Kharge, the Congress leader in the Rajya Sabha, rebutted Nadda's accusations, but his response was cut short by uproar and shouting between MPs, leading to multiple adjournments. Both Nadda and Kharge were summoned to meet with the Chair following the chaotic scenes. The handling of the situation by Chairperson Dhankhar, especially his allowance of comments against Sonia Gandhi, despite rejecting 11 BJP notices requesting a discussion, was a key factor in the Congress-led motion.

Kharge criticized Dhankhar's conduct, pointing out that the Chair allowed the BJP's comments against Gandhi while rejecting multiple requests from BJP MPs to discuss the issue. "What the Leader of the House (Nadda) said is a lie. It is also wrong to damage the image of a member who is not present," Kharge said.

The notice was submitted after a tumultuous session in both Houses of Parliament, where heated exchanges broke out between BJP MPs and opposition members. The controversy was sparked by allegations connecting Congress leader Sonia Gandhi to businessman George Soros, which led to the day's adjournment. BJP MPs accused the opposition of hindering the functioning of Parliament, while the opposition countered, claiming they were being prevented from addressing key issues, including the violence in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, and protests regarding the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for farmers.

“We try, every day, to have a discussion, but they don’t want to have a discussion... that is why they get the House adjourned through any reason,” said Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. On the other hand, Union Minister Giriraj Singh from the BJP alleged that the Congress was evading questions about the alleged connection between Sonia Gandhi and Soros​