Jagdeep Dhankhar’s resignation a political exit camouflaged as constitutional lie: Congress

New Delhi: Congress MP Abhishek Singhvi on Saturday described the resignation of Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar as a “political exit camouflaged as a constitutional lie”, accusing the government of showing signs of insecurity over its inability to control the narrative on impeachment motion against Justice Yashwant Varma.

Countering Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju’s claim that no impeachment motion was admitted in Rajya Sabha other than the one admitted in Lok Sabha, Singhvi told reporters, “Did the Chairman not clearly make the Opposition motion a property of the House when he inquired from the Law Minister about the admission of a separate motion in Lok Sabha?”

He said Dhankhar wanted both Houses to join on the issue, and, perhaps, that is linked to his sudden resignation and silence.

“We believe that Dhankhar’s resignation is a political exit camouflaged as a constitutional lie,” he said.

Singhvi claimed that now a joint committee of Parliament for inquiry against Justice Varma would not be possible as the government only wants to push forward its motion, admitted in the Lok Sabha.

He said, “There’s a difference between what they show and what they do and when it comes to issues related to accountability in the judiciary. The BJP is exhibiting precisely this kind of double-faced, hypocritical behaviour.”

The MP slammed Union Minister Rijiju’s statement on Friday that no motion against Justice Verma was admitted in the Rajya Sabha.

The Congress leader accused the government’s bid to push forward its motion in Lok Sabha as “institutional sabotage and constitutional transgression”.

“In a democracy and on an issue on which you have the support of most of the members of the Opposition, why do you want to be arrogant and pursue Ekla Chalo?” said Singhvi, criticising the BJP for “double-standards”.

“The government ignores cooperation but is talking of competition and a race of who will make the first announcement,” said Singhvi, adding that the government seems concerned more about who should be in camera and is focused on optics and lighting.

Accusing the government of suffering from intoxication of power, he said its insecurity about inability to control the narrative on impeachment motion is “petty, childish and silly”.

“The BJP is so obsessive that it wants a say in judicial impeachment proceedings only in one House and is prepared to go to any extent for that. Today, the BJP and the government have shown that no institution is safe. Not Parliament, not the judiciary, not the Chair even of the Upper House,” he said.

“This is governance by dictatorship, governance by tantrum and governance not by Constitution,” he said, slamming the BJP’s model of ‘One Nation, One Party’ reflected in the rejection of the Opposition motion seeking jointness of the House on the issue of Justice Varma.

“When power intoxicates the ruling regime to the point that it is prepared to institutionally sabotage its own Vice President and its own RS Chairman, then democracy is imperilled. And only democracy, represented through the voice of its people, can intervene,” he said.

The Congress leader said that now that only a committee from Lok Sabha, instead of a joint committee of Parliament, will inquire against Justice Varma.

He said the government may give ground to Justice Varma to challenge the entire impeachment motion proceedings.

“If you are going to create constitutional confusion, you are wittingly or deliberately giving a ground for judicial challenge to Justice Varma against the proceedings,” he said.

IANS