Oppn moves no-confidence motion against Dhankhar

NEW DELHI: Parties of the INDIA opposition bloc on Tuesday submitted a notice to bring a motion in Rajya Sabha for the removal of Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar, accusing him of "partisan" conduct as the chairman of the Upper House.

- Press Trust of India

If the motion is moved, these parties need a simple majority to get it passed, but they do not have the requisite numbers in the 243-member House. Opposition members, however, insisted that it was a "strong message to fight for parliamentary democracy".

On behalf of the opposition, Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh and Naseer Hussain submitted the notice signed by 60 opposition MPs - including from the Congress, RJD, TMC, CPI, CPI-M, JMM, AAP, DMK, Samajwadi Party - to Rajya Sabha secretary general PC Mody.

This is the first time that a notice for bringing a motion to remove the Vice-President has been moved in the Rajya Sabha. A 14-day notice has to be given and it should be approved by the deputy chairman before the motion is taken up.

Notably, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress parliamentary party chairperson Sonia Gandhi and the floor leaders of various opposition parties are not among the signatories to the notice, the sources said.