Congress president and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge wrote to Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Friday, saying the suspension of MPs on such a large scale is detrimental to the core principles of India's parliamentary democracy.
In his letter to Dhankhar, Kharge said he was pained and agonised at the suspension of so many MPs and felt frustrated and disheartened.
The Congress leader, however, expressed faith in the Rajya Sabha chairman, saying he will accommodate the opposition's concerns at all times.
He also urged Dhankhar to discuss the matter with him on a mutually-decided date and address their concerns.
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"The suspension of members on such a large scale is detrimental to the core principles of our parliamentary democracy. Witnessing the suspension of members was painful, agonising, frustrating and disheartening," the Congress chief said.
He said as a responsible opposition leader, he firmly believes in fostering dialogue and discussion, which are the fundamental pillars of a parliamentary democracy.
"I would like to bring to your attention that multiple notices were submitted under the relevant rules of the Rules and Procedure of the Council of States (Rajya Sabha) to address the pressing issue of the breach of Parliament security.
"The opposition parties were prepared to engage in a meaningful discussion on the matter. Regrettably, these notices were neither admitted, nor was I, as the Leader of the Opposition, or any other member of the opposition parties permitted to speak on the floor of the House even for a minute or two," Kharge said.
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"The government will have its way but the opposition must, you will readily agree, have its say. I have no doubt that you will uphold this basic principle of parliamentary democracy in letter and spirit," he added.
Kharge emphasised that the opposition parties had a clear demand that the home minister should apprise the House on the critical issue of breach of parliamentary security and the role of a ruling party MP in facilitating the entry of two intruders into the Lok Sabha gallery on December 13.
"This matter is of grave concern to Parliament, parliamentarians, and is also a significant national security issue. However, the demand was unequivocally ignored.
Furthermore, the suspension of a considerable number of opposition MPs occurred in multiple instances, blatantly violating the rules and procedure," he said.
The Congress chief said despite these challenges, "I want to reiterate my commitment to open discussion and dialogue. I am more than willing to engage in a meeting with you at a mutually convenient date and time in the near future to address these concerns constructively."
Earlier, Dhankhar had written to Kharge saying rendering the House dysfunctional by making a demand to the chair that cannot be acceded is unfortunate and against public interest.
Dhankhar said Kharge's refusal to meet him during the winter session of Parliament was not in sync with parliamentary practices and sought an interaction with him, PTI reported.
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This came a day after the Rajya Sabha was adjourned sine die on Thursday, a day ahead of schedule.
The Upper House witnessed repeated protests by opposition MPs who were demanding a discussion on the December 13 Parliament security breach incident and a statement by Home Minister Amit Shah on the issue.
The protests led to the suspension of 46 MPs from the House for the session. A breach of privilege notice was moved against Trinamool Congress MP Derek O'Brien and the matter was referred to the Privileges Committee.
Citing the letter, the sources said Dhankhar expressed "pain" that his efforts to hold a meeting with Kharge to ensure smooth functioning of the House could not find the Congress leader's favour.
