Congress chief assures new Chairman, CP Radhakrishnan, full cooperation in the conduct of the Upper House
NEW DELHI — Congress president and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday raised the issue of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls, saying it must be taken up before everything else as it was an important issue.
While welcoming the new Chairman of the House, CP Radhakrishnan, Kharge also referred to the sudden, unexpected and unprecedented exit of his predecessor Jagdeep Dhankhar.
Speaking in the House, he said that raising the issue of SIR was not the decision of one party or a few parties. “It is the collective decision of all opposition floor leaders”, he said, adding that they had unanimously agreed that they should take up the SIR matter first, “or else we all will have to protest”.
Kharge also urged Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju not to attempt to divide the opposition, asserting that they will only become stronger with such attempts. “These are cheap gimmicks. You can’t divide us because we have come from ideological backgrounds”, he told the minister.
While urging the Chairman to allow discussion on ‘SIR’, he said, “It is a very important issue, as so many people are dying throughout the country, they want to kill democracy”.
Earlier while welcoming the Chairman, he assured his party’s full cooperation in the conduct of the House. “Indian National Congress staunchly stands by constitutional values and time-honoured parliamentary traditions and structured debates and smooth conduct of the proceedings of the House… kindly be assured of our cooperation with you in the conduct of the proceedings of the House”, he assured the Chairman.
He said a fair and impartial conduct of the House and providing equal opportunity to members of each party, irrespective of their party affiliations, is essential for the credibility of the august office of the chairman.
Kharge also referred to the “unexpected and sudden exit” of former chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, saying, “I am constrained to refer to your predecessor’s completely unexpected and sudden exit from the Office of Chairman, Rajya Sabha, which is unprecedented in the annals of parliamentary history”.
He said, Chairman Rajya Sabha, being custodian of the entire House, belongs as much to the opposition as to the government. “I was disheartened that the House did not get an opportunity to bid him a farewell. Regardless, I wish him, on behalf of the entire opposition, a very healthy life”.
Expressing fond hope and confidence that the new Chairman will take care of all sections of the House, he said, “we are confident that you will be impartial and treat the opposition and the treasury benches in equal measure”.
