First time in history: Rajya Sabha Chairman on Kharge entering Well of House; LoP says he was forced to go

They started raising slogans and several of them entered into the Well, leading to adjournment of the proceedings. At one point, Kharge too stepped in the Well of the House along with other MPs.

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Pained and anguished

Commenting on Kharge’s action, Dhankhar remarked that the act of coming into the Well by a LoP has happened for the first time in the history and has become a “stain” for Parliament. “I am pained and surprised that Indian parliamentary tradition will stoop to such low that the LoP will troop into the Well,” he said, before adjourning the proceedings till 2 pm.

“The kind of conduct, ignoble conduct, a conduct that will hurt every Indian, will put this institution to shame. We are here elected, get the prestige of being members of the upper house, the house of elders. If in this House we conduct ourselves in this unruly manner, it is most unfortunate,” the chairman said.

“It was very painful for me, unbelievable for me, that Mallikarjun Kharge, a leader with Parliamentary experience of over five decades, having held the position of Leader of Opposition both in the state and in Parliament walking into the Well of the House,” he added.

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Forced to go to the Well, says Kharge

Speaking to media outside the Parliament, Kharge said that he raised his hand for a long time and waited for the Chairman to notice him, but his focus was on the treasury benches. He said that he was forced to go the the Well to get the Chairman’s attention and accused him of disrespecting the MPs.

Kharge also said that the opposition wanted to raise the NEET issue as it affects lakhs of students, and did not want to disrupt the discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address. Meanwhile, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh took to ‘X’ and said that Kharge was not the first Leader of Opposition to step in the Well of the House.

“It is being propagated that Mallikarjun Kharge ji is the first Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha to enter the well of the House in protest. Memories are short, especially when old rivals become new partners,” Ramesh said.

“On 5 Aug 2019, the then Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad sat on the steps leading to the Chairman’s presiding seat – which is very much part of the Well. This was when the Bills to abolish Article 370 and downgrade the status of J&K from a full-fledged state to a UT were being introduced,” he said.

It is being propagated that Mallikarjun Kharge ji is the first Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha to enter the well of the House in protest.

Memories are short especially when old rivals become new partners.

On Aug 5 2019, the-then Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya…

— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) June 28, 2024

When the Rajya Sabha reassembled at 2.30 pm after the third adjournment, DMK member Tiruchi Siva informed the House that Congress MP Phulo Devi Netam, who had fainted earlier, had blood pressure.

In response, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said, “I have taken all steps, suspended the working of the House. All arrangements were made and that was the most that could be done. Everything is being taken care of.”

However, the opposition was apparently not satisfied and started sloganeering. Soon after, they staged a walkout and were also joined by members of the Biju Janta Dal (BJD).

Meanwhile, speaking to reporters in the Parliament complex, Congress leader Renuka Chowdhury expressed displeasure over the lack of decorum and empathy and criticised the decision to continue to run to the House.

(Edited by Neena with PTI inputs)

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