After Dhankhar's exit, Harivansh faces a tough task in managing Rajya Sabha

New Delhi: The opposition parties appear to be unhappy with the functioning of Rajya Sabha deputy chairperson Harivansh.

Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge openly accused Harivansh of being biased towards the non-NDA parties.

With the resignation of Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar, who was the ex-officio chairperson of the Rajya Sabha, Harivansh is presiding over the proceedings in the Upper House of Parliament.

Like Dhankhar, Harivansh too doesn’t enjoy the trust of the Opposition.

The Congress and other opposition parties had accused Dhankhar too of being partisan and labelled him as the spokesperson of the BJP and the government.

On December 10 last year, the Congress had given a notice to impeach Dhankhar.

Ever since the chairperson’s post fell vacant, Harivansh has become a source of discontent among the Opposition as he has become more assertive and tries to copy Dhankhar in dealing with the non-NDA parties.

In the past, Harivansh had never been able to exert any pressure on the Opposition. With major issues on the agenda during the monsoon session, such as the Pahalgam terror attack, the ceasefire with Pakistan, foreign policy, and Bihar’s voter roll, it was already clear that Parliament would not pass smoothly.

The tension between Harivansh and the Opposition unfolded after 7 pm on Wednesday, when after a marathon 16-hour debate on the Operation Sindoor, Harivansh called on Home Minister Amit Shah to respond.

As Shah stood up, Opposition members rose from their seats, demanding that the Prime Minister should come to the House.

Congress, Trinamool, and DMK members began raising slogans and marching toward the Chair. Harivansh repeatedly asked them to return to their seats, but nobody listened.

In the middle of the chaos, Harivansh allowed the Home Minister to begin his reply. The House was in disarray, and Shah’s words were lost in the din. Ministers and Opposition members both pulled out the rule book. Amid the noise, Shah tried to clarify that he was not giving the final reply, but was explaining the Prime Minister’s absence.

Taking a swipe at the Opposition, he remarked, “You’re dealing with me, why call the Prime Minister?” This only fuelled the sloganeering, which now included “We want PM” in English as well.

Harivansh’s repeated calls for decorum were ignored. When Kharge tried to speak, Harivansh did not allow it. The Home Minister, however, said Kharge should be heard. Kharge insisted that after such a crucial debate, it was expected that the Prime Minister would reply, since many questions were directly related to him and only he could address them. Kharge also called the PM’s absence an insult to the House.

At this point, Kharge directly accused the deputy chairperson of bias, using language that went beyond parliamentary norms. Following this, the entire Opposition, led by Kharge, walked out of the House in protest against the Prime Minister’s absence.

Even as he tried to explain that the Opposition had broken its promise made in the business advisory committee meeting, Harivansh was left facing serious questions about his ability to maintain order and ensure that the Opposition remained in the House for the Home Minister’s reply.

The events of Wednesday have only deepened doubts about Harivansh’s capacity to handle the Rajya Sabha at a time when the Chairperson’s seat is vacant, and the Opposition is in no mood to compromise.