Following tense discussions between chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar and Derek O’Brien of the TMC regarding the party affiliations of people submitting notices on the Manipur issue, the Rajya Sabha proceedings were suspended for nearly an hour on Monday.
While describing the 11 letters received under rule 176, the majority from treasury benches, requesting short-duration debates over violence in states ranging from Rajasthan to Manipur, Dhankhar read out the names of the MPs and the political parties they are affiliated with.
However, he omitted mentioning the party affiliations when he began to read out the letters received under rule 267 from MPs of opposing parties who requested to postpone the day’s work in order to discuss the Manipur issue.
O’Brien requested that, like when MPs gave notices under rule 176, the chairman also disclose the parties of the MPs who had issued notices under rule 267.
O’Brien was not willing to budge when Dhankhar requested him to take a seat.
O’Brien also received backing from his fellow MPs.
Dhankhar said, “You are challenging the Chair,” and then he put off the meeting till 1200.
