Heated exchange with Chair: Derek O’Brien allowed to attend RS after motion to suspend him not put to vote

O’Brien was allowed to attend House proceedings after Dhankhar said he had taken a “far-sighted” decision to not allow voting on the motion to suspend him, which did not fructify.

The war of words between the two began in the morning after O’Brien raised a point of order to again urge that a debate on Manipur be allowed under Rule 267, despite the Chair warning him before he took the floor. Before calling O’Brien to speak, Dhankhar said: “If you rise to make a point of order — and I am saying [this] because your past is a proof of it — then raise a point of order, do not make a speech on it.”

As the Trinamool leader proceeded to demand discussion under Rule 267, the Chair called for his suspension.

Goyal then moved a motion for O’Brien’s suspension for the rest of the monsoon session. However, since the motion was not put to vote, O’Brien got to attend House proceedings.

Goyal urged for O’Brien’s suspension “for continuously and wilfully disturbing the proceedings…for disobeying the Chair, and for continuously creating disturbance in the House.” He said the TMC leader’s behaviour was unruly and unbecoming of an MP. Dhankhar then said that O’Brien “is suspended for the rest of the session” and adjourned the House for around 30 minutes until noon.

When the proceedings resumed, Dhankhar did not proceed to voting on the motion. He said: “If he (O’Brien) had left the House, he would not have been able to enter again. I did not take the sense of the House earlier. If I had really fructified the process, Derek O’Brien would have been out of the House.”

O’Brien replied, “You can suspend me but do not silence me.”

This angered the Chair further. During the discussion that followed, Congress member K C Venugopal alleged that the move for suspension was a planned one. He said the Leader of the House read out from a prepared letter.

Dhankhar said, “The Chair did not allow to fructify it.”

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh pointed out that a mutually negotiated motion for discussion on the Manipur issue should be taken up so that the logjam ends. Ramesh said that in a meeting four days ago, where Goyal was also present, it was agreed that the discussion be held under Rule 167.

Opposition parties have been demanding a discussion on the situation in Manipur. Dhankhar asked senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh whether he condoned O’Brien’s behaviour — his words and actions. Not commenting on O’Brien specifically, Singh said that entering the Well of the House is a valid form of protest, and there is precedent even from the current ruling party.