INDIA-NEWS
Rajya Sabha's Deputy Chairman Harivansh on Thursday (Dec 19) dismissed the impeachment notice given by Indian opposition lawmakers seeking the removal of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, the news agency PTI reported citing sources. Harivansh ruled the impeachment notice as an act of impropriety, being severely flawed and drawn in haste to mar Dhankhar's reputation. Apart from being the Vice President, Dhankar is also the ex-officio chairman of the Rajya Sabha. PTI reported that in his ruling, Harivansh said that the impeachment notice was part of a design to denigrate the nation's constitutional institutions and malign the incumbent vice president. Harivansh further ruled that the gravity of this "personally targeted" notice is bereft of facts and aimed at securing publicity. Also read | 'He targets opposition, praises government': Kharge accuses Dhankhar of bias in no-confidence motion He also held that the notice was a "misadventure" in "deliberate trivialising and demeaning" the high constitutional office of the Vice President of the largest democracy. Earlier this month, at least 60 opposition lawmakers signed the notice for the removal of Dhankhar from his post, alleging that they did not have trust in him and that he was "biased." A few days back, senior Congress MP Jairam Ramesh accused Dhankhar of undermining the opposition and failing to uphold the dignity of the Rajya Sabha. Speaking to the news agency ANI, Ramesh said, "Our no-confidence motion is against the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. He doesn't let the opposition speak and insults Dalits. The Chairman is supposed to run the House, not provide a running commentary. He can't demand respect; he must command respect. This is a one-sided democracy." Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, meanwhile, highlighted inequalities in the time allotted for opposition and ruling party leaders to speak. "The Chairman is an umpire and should not take sides. When the Leader of the House, JP Nadda, speaks, he gets 5-10 minutes. On the other hand, we keep raising our hands for a chance to speak, and our mics are turned off," Kharge told ANI last week. (With inputs from agencies) Harshit Sabarwal is a digital news writer and anchor at WION, focusing on covering Indian and international politics, war and conflict, and anything breaking news. H None
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