‘Never hesitate to take action’: Jagdeep Dhankhar after Sanjay Singh’s suspension

NEW DELHI: As opposition leaders criticised the suspension of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh, vice-president and Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar stressed the importance of decorum and discipline in a speech later in the day and advocated “zero tolerance for lack of decorum and discipline”.

Dhankhar, who was addressing Indian Forest Service (IFoS) probationers, said no country could prosper if there was no discipline or decorum.

“The moment discipline and decorum are compromised, our institutions suffer severely. If you work in an organisation and can’t generate discipline and decorum and vice vera, things can’t be on progressive trajectory. As Rajya Sabha chairman, I am working in a manner using everything under my command to ensure (that in) the temple of democracy, in the largest democracy, we have decorum. Sometimes we have to take recourse to unpalatable situations but we must never hesitate because decorum and disciple are connected with our growth and prosperity,” Dhankhar said.

“The moment we take a lenient view, we do not serve well in the society. So I appeal to you to have zero tolerance for lack of decorum and discipline,” the Rajya Sabha chairman said.

Dhankhar earlier in the day named Sanjay Singh for entering the Well of the House during the opposition protest to demand that Prime Minister Narendra Modi speak on the Manipur issue in Parliament. Leader of the House Piyush Goyal moved a motion to suspend Sanjay Singh from the House for the remainder of this session. It was adopted by the House by voice vote.

Sanjay Singh’s party AAP described its senior leader’s suspension as unfortunate. Leaders other parties asked Dhankhar to revoke the suspension. They also walked out in protest and boycotted the meeting of floor leaders called by the chairman for discussions to end the deadlock over the issue of holding a debate on the Manipur situation.

Opposition leaders later said a protest near the statue of Mahatma Gandhi, which was started earlier in the day to demand a statement on Manipur by PM Modi, will continue all night and that the protest will continue on Tuesday as well.

According to news agency PTI, leaders of the INDIA alliance have said that they will take turns to sit near the Gandhi statue through the night.

The last time an all-night protest was organised by the opposition leaders was in July last year when 20 suspended Rajya Sabha members started a 50-hour relay protest inside the Parliament complex.