Expressing anguish over the disruptions in the House of Elders, Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar Friday said Rule 267 is being weaponised as a mechanism of disruption.

Chiding the members in the Rajya Sabha for disrupting the House for three days since the Winter session commenced on Monday, he, said ”straying from its constitutional duty to represent people’s hopes and aspirations Parliament risks sliding into irrelevance”. His comments came minutes before he adjourned the House for the day.

Amid disruptions in the House, the Chairman stated, ”Honourable Members, these issues have been raised repeatedly during the week with the result that we have already lost three working days. The days that should have been committed by us for the public cause. There should have been vindication of our oath that we perform our duties as expected.”He said the loss of time, the loss of opportunity, the loss of opportunity by not having Question Hour has given enormous setbacks to the people at large.

”Now I find Hon’ble Members and I call upon you for deep reflection, Rule 267 is being weaponised as a mechanism of disruption and disruption from our normal working. There are very senior members. This cannot be appreciated,” he said further.

”I express my deep anguish, absolute pain”, we are creating a very bad precedent. We are dishonouring the people of this country. We are not coming up to the expectations,” the VP said. He pointed out that members’ actions were not people-centric. ”They are to absolute public distaste, we are getting into irrelevance, people are ridiculing us,” he said, adding ”we have virtually become laughing stock.”

Mr Dhankhar informed the House that 16 notices under Rule 267 seeking suspension of the business of the day to discuss the subject of their notice, have been moved. Seven of these notices were regarding “allegation of corruption against the Adani group”, six of them on “recent violence in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh,” and three of them about “alarming and continued violence in Manipur”.

Mr Dhankhar rejected the notices, inviting uproar from the Opposition.The Chair can be convinced, he said, only by “exhibiting the highest standard of conformance to the rules.”
Since the beginning of the session on Monday, both houses have seen repeated adjournments amid protests from Opposition benches.