Context:
The opposition is considering submitting a notice for moving a resolution to remove the vice president from his office.
More on the news
- As many as 50 Opposition members of parliament (MPs), have signed a resolution for removal against Vice-President (Chairman of Rajya Sabha) Jagdeep Dhankhar under Article 67(B) of the Indian Constitution.
- The MPs say there is a marked lack of space and time for the Opposition to express its views & it would be a statement to highlight the Chair’s “blatantly and consistently partisan” approach
- Secondly, the Opposition has raised the idea that the House should be run by “rules and convention” and that the floor of the House is “supreme” to any other area in Parliament. The problems generated on the floor of the House should be sorted there, and not in the Chairman’s Chamber
- The third accusation that the Opposition has made against the Chairman is on “personal remarks against members.”
- “Rule 238(2) of the Rajya Sabha states that a member while speaking shall not make a personal charge against a member. This is a rule that the Chairman must also abide by
- If the Opposition moves such a resolution, it will be the first such occasion in Indian parliamentary history.
Removal of Vice-President
- Article 67 (b) states that a Vice-President may be removed from his office by a resolution of the Council of States (Rajya Sabha) passed by a majority of all the then members of the Council and agreed to by the House of the People (Lok Sabha). No resolution for the purpose of this clause shall be moved unless at least fourteen days’ notice has been given of the intention to move the resolution.
- It can only be introduced in Rajya Sabha, not in Lok Sabha.