ANP Member Raghav Chadha has been suspended from the Rajya Sabha, a report of the Parliamentary Privileges Committee for gross violations of rules and conduct said. Chadha had been suspended a few days after four BJD MPs, S.S. Patra, a BJP MP, S.P. Konyak, a Narhari Amin, and an AIADMK MP, M Thammidurai, filed a complaint alleging violation of privileges, alleging that their names were included in an amendment tabled by Chadha in the Rajya Sabha seeking referral of the GOC Bill, 2023 (Amendment) to Select Committee without their consent.
This follows the suspension of Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, a Congress MP and leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, for repeated misconduct, pending an investigation by the privileges committee. The case against Chadha was referred to the House’s Privileges Committee by the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, Jagdeep Dhankhar. The suspension of AAP MPs came in response to a motion by the House Leader Piyush Goyal, which called on him to take disciplinary action over his inclusion of the names of these four members into a draft Select Committees for an NCT bill.
Goyal accused the AAP MP for violating the members’ privileges, calling Chadha’s behavior “unethical,” “unexpected,” and unacceptable to be a member of the Parliament. A voice vote passed the motion to suspend him. In addition, the time limit which AAP MP Sanjay Singh was currently suspended from the House of Commons while his complaints were being decided by the Privileges Committee has been prolonged.
Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh has launched an inquiry into a controversy that emerged when at least four MPs alleged that their names were added to a Select Committee for the NCT Bill without their consent. The proposal for the committee was put forth by Raghav Chadha of the AAP. Home Minister Amit Shah weighed in, revealing that five members had complained about their names being included without their signatures. Shah promptly demanded an investigation, deeming it a breach of the House’s privilege. He insisted that the matter be referred to the Privileges Committee, citing potential violation of procedural rules and the dignity of the aggrieved members. The Chairman invoked Rule 203, tasking the Committee of Privileges to delve into the issue and provide a report.
In response, Raghav Chadha defended his actions, explaining that obtaining signatures was not mandatory for proposing the committee. He dismissed the allegations against him as a part of the BJP’s “fake propaganda.” The notice sent to the Privileges Committee outlined that four MPs had lodged complaints, accusing Chadha of violating the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Rajya Sabha. They contended that Chadha’s actions were an improper use of his prerogatives as a member and undermined the rights of other members. The Committee of Privileges is now tasked with thoroughly examining and investigating the matter, as per “Rule 203 of Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Council of States (Rajya Sabha) to the Committee of Privileges for examination, investigation and report”.
