On a cold December morning, the Vice President of India Jagdeep Dhankhar, met a delegation of women journalists in the capital and spoke on a number of issues that have arisen in the Indian Parliament.

He also highlighted how the government of the day has shown great care and sensitivity in making sure that women are well represented in all sectors in the government.

One of the major issues that rocked Parliament was the Opposition’s moving a notice on Dec 10 for a motion of no-confidence against the vice president, who is also the chairman of the Rajya Sabha (Upper House of Parliament).

“I don’t hold any brief for myself, but look at the notice against the VP, look at the six links they have given; you will be shocked. Chandra Shekhar ji used to say don’t use a kitchen knife to conduct a bypass surgery… in my case, the person who wrote the notice used a rusted knife. I was stunned after reading it. But I am surprised that none of you have read it,” the VP said. He addressed the topic head-on and further said that those in constitutional positions cannot “settle scores”. The VP also pointed out that his rulings in the Upper House are borne out by constitutional provisions.

In his interaction with a group of women journalists at the Vice President’s Enclave, Dhankhar said, “Let me declare why the notice emanated. Any constitutional position has to be vindicated by commitment to sublimity, sterling qualities, and constitutionalism. We are not in a position to settle scores. Because, for the success of democracy, two things are inalienable: expression and dialogue.”

The notice was rejected by the deputy chairman of the Upper House on several grounds, including technical flaws on Dec 19. The Deputy Chairman also described the move as “casual” and “cavalier”, and noted that it even misspelt the Vice President’s name.

This was the first time a notice to bring a motion to remove the Vice President had been submitted. According to the rules, a 14-day notice must be given, and the motion must be approved by the Deputy Chairman (since it is against the Chairman) before it can be taken up in the Upper House. As expected, the Opposition could not manage the numbers to ensure the passage of the resolution. But it was also seen as being more of a symbolic and political point-making exercise by the Opposition.

The VP also spoke on how the Indian Parliament is failing to produce any great debates. He went on to point out the role played by the media in any democracy.

“Have you noticed any great debate in Parliament in the last few decades? Have you noticed any great contribution made on the floor of the House? We are in the news for the wrong reason. We have learned to live with order, which is only a disorder. However, accountability has to be enforced by the media because media is the only conveyance to reach the people at large,” he added.

The winter session of the Indian Parliament that ended recently saw low productivity and high drama. There were acrimonious debates inside the House, protests and eventually even a scuffle. In terms of work, the Winter Session was among the least productive since the NDA government came to power over a decade ago. This is according to data from the PRS Legislative Research and the Lok Sabha Secretariat. The Rajya Sabha hasn’t been this unproductive since the 2023 Budget Session. – Simran Sodhi is Executive Editor of nrifocus.com