INDIA Bloc Files No Confidence Motion Against Rajya Sabha Chairperson

On 10 Dec, the INC-led Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc filed a no-confidence motion against Rajya Sabha (Upper House) Chairperson Jagdeep Dhankhar. They accused him of biased conduct in overseeing the House. Sixty opposition MPs, including members from the Samajwadi Party, Trinamool Congress, and AAP—parties often at odds with INC—have supported the motion. The move, unprecedented in India’s parliamentary history, has been initiated under Article 67(b) of the Constitution, which provides for the removal of the Vice President, who also serves as the ex-officio Rajya Sabha Chair. The INDIA bloc particularly objected to Dhankar’s acceptance of BJP speeches linking Sonia Gandhi to George Soros, while dismissing 11 previous notices from opposition MPs. They also criticised Dhankar’s refusal to allow debates on pressing issues like communal violence in Uttar Pradesh, cyclone damage in Tamil Nadu, ethnic clashes in Manipur, and the prolonged Farmers’ Protest. The BJP’s accusations stemmed from a French news report Mediapart suggesting connections between INC and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), partly funded by Soros, and the US govt. Mediapart has said it ‘firmly condemns the instrumentalization of its recently published investigative article about OCCRP by the BJP […] in order to serve BJP’s political agenda and attack press freedom.’ On 11 Dec, Patiala INC MP Dharamvira Gandhi said, ‘After hijacking institutions, BJP is now out to undo democracy in the highest institution, the Parliament itself.’ The motion is not likely to pass. The Rajya Sabha has 245 members, of which 14 seats are vacant. The opposition has 85 seats, far below the 116 needed. The opposition views the motion as a symbolic protest against the ruling party.