Ruling party has weaponsied suspension of MPs: Kharge tells Rajya Sabha Chairman Dhankhar
Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge said in a letter to Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar. In his reply to a letter written by Dhankhar, Kharge said the Chairman's letter «unfortunately justifies the autocratic and arrogant attitude of the Government towards Parliament.»
Replying to the points raised by Dhankhar, the senior Congress leader urged him to examine his concerns «objectively and with neutrality as the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.»
«The ruling party has indeed weaponised the suspension of members as a convenient tool to undermine democracy, sabotage Parliamentary practices and throttle the Constitution.
»If anything privilege motions have also been weaponised to muzzle the voice of the Opposition. This is a deliberate design of the ruling dispensation to undermine Parliament itself.
By suspending MPs, the government is effectively silencing the voice of the voters of 146 MPs altogether," Kharge said.
«You have also mentioned that disorder was deliberate and strategised and predetermined.
I would like to submit that if anything, it is the mass suspension of the Opposition MPs from both Houses of Parliament that seems to be predetermined and premeditated by the Government and I am most sorry to say, executed without any application of mind, as can be seen by the suspension of an INDIA party MP who was not even present in the Parliament,» he said.
While Dhankhar, in his letter, had said that his attempts to meet the Leader of Opposition were turned down, Kharge said he had sought a statement from the Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the security breach on December 14, before the suspensions started.
«I recognise it is well within your powers as Chairman to decide on these notices. However, it was regrettable
