‘Sleepless night’: Harivansh on fast

Rajya Sabha deputy chairperson Harivansh, who has been accused of not paying heed to the Opposition’s demand for a division of votes on two contentious agricultural reform payments and for overlooking the views of Upper House members sitting within the Lok Sabha chamber on the time, invoked his humble origins in Bihar and went on a day-long quick on Tuesday to protest “humiliating” conduct in the direction of him by some MPs.

Harivansh wrote a letter to President Ram Nath Kovind and Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu, who can be the Rajya Sabha chairperson, saying protests within the Upper House throughout the passage of the 2 payments on Sunday induced him ache, stress and psychological pressure. “I was not able to sleep the whole night,” he wrote.

Harivansh, who was elected deputy chairperson for the second time on September 14, was within the Chair when the payments have been handed within the midst of pandemonium. Opposition events, who say he denied them their parliamentary rights by ignoring their calls for, later drafted a no-confidence movement in opposition to Harivansh. It was rejected by Naidu because it was not in correct format and didn’t give a 14-day discover interval.

Footage from the House confirmed that fierce protests from the Opposition, together with senior leaders charging in the direction of the Chair, leaping onto tables; and capturing movies of the ruckus.

“Ugly and unparliamentary slogans were raised. Scenes that can disturb the heart and mind, scenes that bring shame on democracy… I am an introvert, belong to a village and rooted in literature, sensitivity and values,” Harivansh, a pacesetter of Bihar’s ruling Janata Dal (United), stated in his letter.

“In the name of democracy, members of the House indulged in violent behaviour. There was an effort to intimidate the person in the chair. All norms of the Upper House were disregarded. The rule book was torn and thrown over me. The historic table on which officials carry on the work of the Upper House was climbed upon and papers torn. Some were thrown at the chair,” he stated. Harivansh stated like lighthouses at the hours of darkness, establishments decide the longer term course for societies and nations. “That is why the Rajya Sabha and the position of the Rajya Sabha chairman are more important and glorious, not me,” he wrote.

Harivansh stated he was happening quick hoping it will result in a sense of “atma-shuddhi (self correction)” within the MPs who had behaved in an unruly method.

Trinamool Congress ground chief Derek O’Brien and his colleague Dola Sen; Aam Aadmi Party’s Sanjay Singh; Congress’s Rajeev Satav, Syed Nasir Hussain and Ripun Borah; and KK Ragesh and Elamaram Kareem of the CPI(M) have been suspended for seven days every on Monday for his or her conduct contained in the House amid protests that their model of occasions weren’t heard.

Since their suspension, the eight MPs have been holding a protest on the Parliament premises. They known as off the protest round Tuesday midday. The members stated what occurred contained in the Rajya Sabha over the farm payments was “undemocratic” and “against the idea of India”.

“We are equally pained and hurt… He was under pressure from the government, which, in turn, was under pressure from the corporate to get the farm bills passed on that very day. Also, why did he bring media along when he came with tea in the morning?” stated Satav.

His reference was to a gesture by Harivansh to carry tea and snacks for the protesting MPs within the morning. “The farmers want justice, not tea. Is this a child’s play? First you murder democracy and then you offer tea? If it was a personal visit, then why did he have two cameras with him?” requested O’Brien, one other of these suspended. The authorities claims that the division of votes couldn’t happen as a result of members didn’t go to their seats regardless of repeated pleas by the deputy chairperson.

PM Narendra Modi, in the meantime, stated Harivansh’s gesture was proof of his greatness. “To personally serve tea to those who attacked and insulted him a few days ago as well as those sitting on Dharna shows that Shri Harivansh Ji has been blessed with a humble mind and a big heart. It shows his greatness…,” he tweeted.

Naidu, too, backed Harivansh and stated he had acted with utmost restraint. “He handled the situation in a very deft manner,” Naidu stated within the Rajya Sabha.