Opposition Walks Out of the Rajya Sabha, Nadda Slams 'Irresponsible' Behavior

The Opposition parties, led by the Congress, staged a walkout from the Rajya Sabha on Monday after their notices for discussions on several issues were rejected. These issues ranged from concerns about "duplicate" voter ID cards to the involvement of U.S. funding in voter turnout. Deputy Chairman of the House, Harivansh, dismissed the notices, leading to the protest.

The walkout was triggered after Harivansh rejected a dozen notices under Rule 267, which allows setting aside the scheduled business of the day to discuss urgent matters.

Opposition MPs, including Mallikarjun Kharge, the Leader of Opposition, expressed their frustration when they were not permitted to make submissions following the rejection. They raised slogans in protest before leaving the House in defiance. Kharge had attempted to address the issue, but his submission was blocked by the Deputy Chairman’s decision.

Union Minister J.P. Nadda, in response to the walkout, criticised the Opposition’s actions, calling them “irresponsible” and suggested that they were not interested in constructive debate. "They want to give an impression that the government does not want to answer queries or engage in discussions," said Nadda. He also stated that the government, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was ready to discuss any issue, but only if it adhered to the rules of the House.

Nadda further accused the Opposition of undermining the institution of Parliament, saying, "This is irresponsible behaviour by the opposition... In a way, it is an attempt to malign Parliament and democracy." He also suggested that the Opposition MPs should consider going for a "refresher course" to better understand the rules and regulations of the House.

The rejected notices had covered various issues raised by different opposition leaders. Among them, Tiruchi N Siva from the DMK and CPI's Santosh Kumar P, Vaiko from MDMK, and CPI's P P Suneer sought discussions on the upcoming delimitation exercise in the southern States. Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress members, including Saket Gokhale and Sagarika Ghose, and Congress leaders Pramod Tiwari and Ajay Maken, demanded a discussion on the alleged mishandling of voter ID cards, specifically regarding the issuance of multiple "duplicate" cards across states.

Other opposition members had their own concerns. Sanjay Singh of AAP called for a debate on the financial losses suffered by small investors due to the ongoing decline in stock market indices. Samajwadi Party's Ramji Lal Suman sought a discussion on a statement made by former U.S. President Donald Trump about American funding to boost voter turnout in India. V. Sivadasan from CPI(M) wanted to raise issues related to the challenges faced by anganwadi and mid-day meal workers.​