Dhankhar walks out from RS amid Oppn protest over Phogat disqualification

NEW DELHI: Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar walked out of the House on Thursday amid demands from the opposition benches to discuss wrestler Vinesh Phogat’s disqualification from the Paris Olympics.

An upset Dhankhar lamented the lack of respect for the House Chair.

“It is not me... but the post of the Chairperson that is being challenged... it is being challenged because people

think the person sitting in the chair is not worthy...” Dhankhar began.

Dhankhar left the House after heated clashes with TMC leader and some other Opposition MPs who were not permitted to raise the issue of disqualification of Vinesh Phogat.

Trouble began in the morning session when Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge sought to raise the Phogat disqualification issue but Chairman Dhankhar did not allow it.

This followed an angry exchange between the Chair and TMC leader Derek O’Brien.

“It is an important issue. It is not an issue of a particular individual,” Kharge said soon after the listed papers were tabled in the House. He wanted to know “who is behind” the disqualification.

However, Dhankhar did not allow Kharge to raise the issue and went ahead with the scheduled Zero Hour listings.

In the meantime, Derek O’Brien stood up to raise his point, but could not be heard because of uproar in the House. Dhankhar cautioned the TMC member, saying “You are shouting at the Chair. Your conduct is ugliest in the House. I condemn your actions. Next time I will show you the door”.

As uproar continued, Opposition parties staged a walkout.

“They (Opposition) think they are all wise. They think they are the only ones whose hearts are bleeding. The entire nation is in pain because of our girl. Entire nation is feeling the pain from the President to the Prime Minister to myself and many more.

Everyone is sharing that situation, but to... politicize it is the greatest disrespect to that girl. That girl has a long way to go,” Dhankhar said.

Leader of the House and BJP president J P Nadda also condemned the behaviour of Opposition members towards the Chair and also accused the Congress party of politicising the Phogat disqualification issue.

Nadda emphasised the whole country is behind Phogat and even the Prime Minister has described the wrestler as ‘champion of champions’.

After Nadda spoke, Dhankhar expressed his anguish on the conduct of Opposition members and left the House saying he was not in a position to remain in the House for the time being.

Before leaving the Rajya Sabha, Dhankhar said the behaviour of the Opposition members has crossed all limits by creating anarchy in the House and disrespecting the prestige of the Chair.

Dhankhar rued that he did not get the desired support from the House despite making all efforts.

“I am not running away from the oath. But what I have seen today, the way a member has behaved, the way the Opposition bench has conducted, I am not finding myself in a position to sit here for sometime,” Dhankhar said, adding he was leaving the House “with a heavy heart”. with agency inputs