The Rajya Sabha witnessed fresh disruptions on Wednesday after Deputy Chairman Harivansh declined to admit 35 notices submitted under Rule 267, prompting strong protests from Opposition members.
The notices, which sought suspension of regular business to discuss urgent public issues — including electoral roll revisions and alleged exam irregularities — were rejected for not complying with procedural norms.
“None of these notices adhere to the requirements of Rule 267 as enunciated in the past,” Harivansh said, echoing his stance from the previous day.
Despite mounting pressure from the Opposition for a debate, the Deputy Chairman remained firm and urged members to utilise Zero Hour to raise public concerns.
He also noted that several MPs had approached him privately, expressing disappointment over not being allowed to speak.
When a member attempted to raise a “point of order,” the Deputy Chairman dismissed it, stating, “A point of order can only be raised when the House is in order.”
As disruptions escalated, he remarked, “You do not seem to run the proceedings of the House,” before adjourning the session till 2 p.m.
Earlier in the day, the House reconvened for the Wednesday session by paying tribute to former Rajya Sabha member Satyapal Malik, who passed away on Tuesday. Members observed a minute’s silence in his memory.
The session then resumed with routine legislative business. The Secretary-General laid the Goa Municipalities (Amendment) Bill, while BJP MP Naresh Bansal and Minister of State Tokhan Sahu tabled reports and statements related to housing and urban affairs.
Other Ministers of State — including Dr. L. Murugan, Pankaj Choudhary, Nityanand Rai, S.P. Singh Baghel, B.L. Verma, Sukanta Majumdar, Savitri Thakur, Harsh Malhotra, and Tokhan Sahu — also laid papers before the House.
The ongoing impasse over Rule 267 highlights the deepening friction between the Opposition and the Chair over procedural fairness and space for democratic dialogue.
Notices submitted by MPs such as Randeep Surjewala and Sanjay Singh had called for urgent discussions on electoral integrity and SSC exam irregularities, but were rejected on technical grounds.
— IANS
