Opposition walkout during PM's speech sets 'dangerous precedent': Dhankhar

NEW DELHI: Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Wednesday said the Opposition has set a "dangerous precedent antithetical to democratic values" by walking out during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's reply during discussion on the motion of thanks to President's address.

In his concluding remarks of the 264th session of Rajya Sabha before adjourning the House sine die, Dhankhar also termed the instance of Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge walking into the well of the House during the session "a disgrace to parliamentary conduct and proprietary".

Summing up the proceedings of the session, the chairman said while there was active participation from both the treasury as well as opposition benches, he was constrained to make some observations that "weighed heavily on my mind over the disruptions that marred the proceedings".

"Witnessing seasoned members conduct themselves irresponsibly was particularly disheartening. I wish to reiterate that disruption not only impedes the transaction of the listed business but also erodes the prestige of this esteemed institution," he asserted.

Pointing out the instance of Kharge entering the Well of the Rajya Sabha on Friday, Dhankhar said, "It was extremely painful to notice that even the Leader of the Opposition walked into the Well of the House and that was a disgrace to parliamentary conduct and proprietary."

He asked the members of the House to "exemplify their conduct so that this becomes a temple for deliberations, discussion, dialogue and debate".

"Their walkout today was extremely painful. It was a historic occasion. The government was in its third term with the prime minister heading it continually after six decades. They walked away from their constitutional ordainment and that has set a dangerous precedent antithetical to democratic values," Dhankhar said.

The 264th session of the Upper House began with President Droupadi Murmu's address to both houses of Parliament, which the chairman described as "an important tradition that set the tone and outlined the government's agenda".

The House also witnessed Modi introducing his new council of ministers after he was sworn-in as the prime minister for the third consecutive term.

"The Motion of Thanks to the President's address witnessed lively participation by 76 members for over 21 hours. The House also heard maiden speeches by 19 newly-elected members," Dhankhar said.

The Rajya Sabha chairman said while the prime minister gave a "spirited address while participating in the debate", the House lost 43 minutes due to forced adjournments but the shortfall was "made up by continuing discussion during lunch break and sitting beyond the scheduled time".

"Due to extended sitting, the total duration of business was finally extended by three hours beyond the scheduled time and, therefore, we scored more than 100 per cent in our productivity," he added.