VP Dhankhar replies to Mallikarjun Kharge, Sharad Pawar over suspensions | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: In two separate letters to leader of opposition Mallikarjun Kharge and NCP patriarch Sharad Pawar, two of the senior-most MPs in Rajya Sabha, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar sought to justify the suspension of opposition MPs, while lamenting the opposition’s refusal to engage with him when invited and calling it a “rebuff not in sync with parliamentary practice”.

In response to two letters from Kharge, Dhankhar said he was pained by the Congress chief’s refusal to interact with him in his chamber to ensure the “wholesome functioning of the House”. “As a veteran of the parliamentary mechanism, you are well aware that interaction with the presiding officer is of high priority. Nothing can be more painful and severe setback to the office I hold that interaction being not availed. It was a rebuff not in sync with parliamentary practice,” Dhankhar said.The VP also said the opposition’s requests were refused because “they failed to meet the procedural requirements”, and said the their persistence was not only unfortunate but also “against public interest”.In a separate missive to Pawar, the VP lamented the “politicisation” of Parliament’s security breach and said the incident should not be seen in a partisan manner but all legislators must collectively reflect on addressing the problem.