India's Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankar, who also serves as the chairman of Parliament's Upper House, faces impeachment proceedings initiated by opposition parties on Tuesday, according to a spokesperson. The move accuses Dhankhar of bias in his role as the Upper House chairman, marking a historic first in India.
Dhankhar's office has not yet commented on the matter. This development comes after weeks of disruptions in Parliament, where both government and opposition parties have blamed each other for hindering legislative progress through political controversies.
As India's second-highest constitutional officeholder, the Vice-President not only chairs the Upper House but also serves as the acting President in case of a temporary vacancy. While the impeachment move is largely symbolic due to the opposition's lack of sufficient votes to remove Dhankhar, it is anticipated to further strain relations between the opposition and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government, as Dhankhar was elected under Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The opposition had "no choice but to formally submit a no-confidence motion" against Dhankhar for his "highly partisan conduct" in managing the Upper House proceedings, stated Jairam Ramesh, spokesperson for the main opposition Congress party. Ramesh emphasized that this "difficult decision" was made in the interest of parliamentary democracy.
There has been no immediate response from the BJP. The motion is unlikely to be addressed in the current session, as Parliament is set to adjourn on December 20, well before the required 14-day notice period. The ongoing winter session, which commenced on November 25, has been marred by disruptions over various issues, including allegations of bribery against billionaire Gautam Adani, religious tensions in a northern town, and ethnic violence in Manipur.
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