Guard against the narrative advanced by some that what happened in Bangladesh can happen in India, advised Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, taking a swipe at Congress leaders and expressing shock and surprise at the equivalence drawn between the two south Asian neighbours.

Sheikh Hasina, 76, quit as prime minister in the face of a student-led uprising on Monday and fled by helicopter to longtime ally New Delhi.

“Be on watch out. Efforts by some to infuse a narrative that what happened in our neighbourhood is bound to happen in our Bharat, is deeply concerning. How can a citizen of this country having been a Member of Parliament, and the other who has seen enough of Foreign Service takes no time in saying that what happened in the neighbourhood will happen in India,” said the Vice President at the platinum jubilee celebrations of the Rajasthan High Court in Jodhpur today.

Be on watch out!!

Efforts by some to infuse a narrative that what happened in our neighbourhood is bound to happen in our Bharat, is deeply concerning.

How can a citizen of this country having been a Member of Parliament, and the other who has seen enough of Foreign Service… pic.twitter.com/MWEoz1Ao1C

— Vice-President of India (@VPIndia) August 10, 2024

On Tuesday, Congress leader Salman Khurshid, at a book release function, said that though “everything may look normal on the surface”, what is happening in Bangladesh could happen in India.

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, who was also present at the event, said on Wednesday that he could not explain what Mr Khurshid meant but the larger message that Bangladesh has given is about the importance of democracy and free and fair elections.

BJP MP Rajiv Pratap Rudy castigated Mr Khurshid and termed his remarks “anarchist”.

Ms Hasina’s last 15 years in power were marked by arrests of opposition leaders, crackdowns on free speech and suppression of dissent.

Protests began in June after student groups’ demands for the scrapping of a controversial quota system in government jobs escalated into a movement seeking the end of her rule.

India too witnessed massive protests over the controversial citizenship law and the new farm laws in the recent years.

Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus and his newly named interim government set out Friday to restore “law and order” after a student-led uprising and deadly mass protests forced Ms Hasina, the five-time prime minister, to flee the country.

Officials of Hasina’s former ruling party, the Awami League, have gone into hiding after revenge attacks saw some of their offices torched, while former opposition groups such as the key Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) are rebuilding after years of crushing repression.

In the immediate aftermath of Hasina’s fall, some businesses and homes owned by Hindus were attacked, a group seen by some in Muslim-majority Bangladesh as having been her supporters.

Bangladeshi Hindus account for around eight percent of the country’s population.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday urged “safety and protection of Hindus and all other minority communities”.

More than 450 people were killed in the unrest leading up to Hasina’s departure, including dozens of police officers killed during clampdowns on demonstrations.

The caretaker administration Mr Yunus, 84, helms has said that restoration of law and order is its “first priority”.

New Delhi:

Samajwadi Party MP Jaya Bachchan has demanded an apology from Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar after a contentious session in the upper house of Parliament. The incident arose from a heated exchange involving remarks made by BJP MP Ghanshyam Tiwari against Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge.

During a session where the Opposition MPs were vociferously demanding that Mr Tiwari’s comments be expunged from the record, Ms Bachchan voiced her objections to Mr Dhankhar’s conduct. She criticized the Chairman for his tone and his decision to switch off the microphone when Mallikarjun Kharge attempted to speak. Bachchan, clearly upset, asserted, “We are not school children and some of us are even senior citizens. I was upset with the tone… especially when the Leader of the Opposition (Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge) stood up to speak he (the Chair) switched the mic off. This is unacceptable.”

Mr Bachchan further condemned Dhankhar’s use of what she described as “unparliamentary” language, including terms like “nuisance” and “Buddhiheen” (which translates to “mindless”). “How can you do this? You have to allow the Leader of the Opposition to speak. If you are not going to allow that person to speak, if he is not going to be heard, then what are we doing here?” she argued. “The way things are being spoken in Parliament these days is unprecedented. I need an apology for saying ‘I don’t care’. He has to care… he is the Chair and he has to care.”

The Samajwadi Party MP was supported by several prominent women MPs, including Sonia Gandhi, who backed her claims against the Rajya Sabha Chairman. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi highlighted Ms Bachchan’s extensive experience, stating, “She comes with vastly more experience than the Vice President himself. He cannot disrespect a Member of Parliament.”

Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Dola Sen also expressed support, noting, “She has not come here as a celebrity. She has come here as an elected Member of Parliament.”

After the fiery exchange opposition MPs led by Congress veteran Sonia Gandhi walked out to support Ms Bachchan, and underline their claims they were not being allowed to speak during House debates.

Opposition MPs – led by Sonia Gandhi and the Trinamool Congress’ Derek O’Brien – then gathered outside Parliament, flanking Ms Bachchan in a significant statement, and several spoke on her behalf.

Ms Bachchan had prefaced her remarks (before she was cut short by Mr Dhankhar and told, repeatedly, to “take your seat”) by introducing herself as “Jaya Amitabh Bachchan” – a swipe at a related row with Mr Dhankhar that triggered sharp exchanges of its own earlier this week.

“Sir, I, Jaya Amitabh Bachchan (to chuckles from some benches), want to say this… I am an actor. I understand body language and expression (to applause) and, forgive me, but your tone is not acceptable. We are colleagues, sir… you may be sitting in the Chair but I remember when I went to school…” she said before Mr Dhankhar waved his hands and told her to sit down.

New Delhi:

Rajya Sabha Chair Jagdeep Dhankhar – often left sitting while opposition MPs walk out to protest various issues – turned the tables Thursday afternoon, walking out of the House amid demands to discuss wrestler Vinesh Phogat’s disqualification from the Paris Olympics from a gold medal bout.

A disgruntled Mr Dhankhar also named Congress MP Jairam Ramesh for “laughing”; “I know your habit…” the Rajya Sabha leader said, as he lamented the lack of respect for the House Chair.

“It is not me… but the post of the Chairperson that is being challenged… it is being challenged because people think the person sitting in the chair is not worthy…” Mr Dhankhar began.

At this point there were comments from the Chair’s left, after which Mr Dhankhar pointed to Jairam Ramesh. “Now I have only option… after what I have seen today, for sometime I am not finding myself in a position to sit here,” he said, after which he stood up, folded his hands together, and walked out.

A video circulated by BJP leader Satya Kumar Yadav showed a nearly-empty House at the time.

Shameful behavior by @Jairam_Ramesh led to Dhankhar Sahib ji leaving the chair!

Congress leaders lack even basic decency in Parliament and then they have the audacity to blame others. pic.twitter.com/wWyF1mcrie

— Satya Kumar Yadav (@satyakumar_y) August 8, 2024

In his absence Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh chaired proceedings.

Shortly afterwards Mr Dhankhar returned and hit out at “unprecedented, indigestible” scenes in the House. “It is our bounden duty to take tough decisions (but) sublimity has been misunderstood as fragility, persuasion as weakness,” he said.

Mr Dhankhar also said he had “left to introspect” and had called a meeting of floor leaders.

ours earlier the Congress-led INDIA bloc staged a vociferous walk-out after Mr Dhankhar refused to allot time to discuss Ms Phogat’s disqualification. The Chairperson shut down Congress boss Mallikarjun Kharge and Trinamool Congress leader Derek O’Brien when they stood up to speak.

Mr Kharge wanted to know “who is behind” the heartbreak for Ms Phogat, who was looking to become the first Indian woman wrestler to win an Olympic gold. He, though, was told to sit down.

Mr O’Brien was similarly stopped. “You are shouting at the Chair. Your conduct is ugliest in the House. I condemn your actions. Next time I will show you the door…” Mr Dhankhar said.

As uproar increased in the House, opposition MPs staged a walkout.

READ | Vinesh Phogat Row In Parliament: Angry Opposition Walks Out

Mr Dhankhar then accused the opposition of believing only their “hearts are bleeding”. “The entire nation is in pain… But to politicise it is the greatest disrespect to her (Ms Phogat),” he said.

On Tuesday INDIA bloc members walked out of the Lok Sabha to protest their dissatisfaction over Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya’s brief statement about aid given to Ms Phogat.

Vinesh Phogat’s disqualification has kicked up a political row, with the opposition quick to demand justice for the 29-year-old, who is one of three leading a #MeToo protest against former BJP MP Brij Bhushan Singh, who was also the chief of the national wrestling body.

READ | Political Spats, “Conspiracy” Charges After Vinesh Phogat Disqualified

Meanwhile, a verdict on the Indian Olympic Association’s “strong protest” against Ms Phogat’s disqualification is expected this evening. However, sources have told NDTV no reprieve is likely.

Ms Phogat has been disqualified for being 100 grams overweight for the 50-kg event.

READ | “Goodbye, Wrestling”: Vinesh Phogat Says Retiring After Olympics Shock

And, in a surprise announcement this morning, she said was retiring from the sport.

With input from agencies

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New Delhi:

Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar will on Sunday inaugurate ‘Prerna Sthal’, which will house all statues of freedom fighters and other leaders that were earlier placed at different places in the Parliament complex.

An official statement said all members of Parliament have been invited to the event where the outgoing Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and other dignitaries will also be present.

While the Congress has criticised the decision to remove the statues from their existing place, the Lok Sabha secretariat has said their placements at different places made it difficult for visitors to see them properly.

“The ‘Prerna Sthal’ has been constructed so that the dignitaries and other visitors coming to Parliament House Complex could conveniently see and pay tributes at these statues in one place.

“An action plan has been made to make the life stories and messages of these great Indians available to the visitors through new technology,” it said.

The Congress has claimed that the idea behind relocating the statues of Mahatma Gandhi, B R Ambedkar and Chhatrapati Shivaji among others is to ensure that they are not in a prominent place where MPs could conduct peaceful and democratic protests.

The Lok Sabha secretariat said it may be recalled that even before this, during the construction work of the new Parliament Building, the statues of Mahatma Gandhi, Motilal Nehru and Chaudhary Devi Lal were shifted to other places in the complex.

Lawns and gardens have been laid around the statues at ‘Prerna Sthal’ to allow visitors to easily pay their tributes to them and also take inspiration from their lives through QR code, it added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Tehran:

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Wednesday met Iran’s acting President Mohammad Mokhber here and conveyed condolences over the tragic demise of President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in a helicopter crash.

Jagdeep Dhankhar, who is leading the Indian delegation at the official funeral ceremony, paid tributes to Raisi, Amir-Abdollahian, and other Iranian officials who died in the crash.

A one-day state mourning was observed across India on Tuesday as a mark of respect for Raisi.

Hon’ble Vice-President, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar paid tributes to Late President Dr. Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi, Late Foreign Minister Dr. Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and other Iranian Officials in Tehran today.

VP Dhankhar also met Dr. Mohammad Mokhber, Acting President of Iran and… pic.twitter.com/Rbkd9yltWT

— Vice-President of India (@VPIndia) May 22, 2024

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar paid tributes to late President Raisi, late Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian, and other Iranian officials in Tehran today, his office said in a post on X along with pictures of the event.

“VP Jagdeep Dhankhar met Acting President of Iran, Dr. Mohammad Mokhber in Tehran today. VP conveyed condolences on the tragic demise of President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister H. Amir-Abdollahian,” the External Affairs Ministry said in a separate post on X.

Jagdeep Dhankhar, who arrived here earlier in the day to attend the official funeral ceremony, was received by the Iranian authorities on his arrival in Tehran.

President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have conveyed their condolences on the demise of Raisi.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited the embassy of Iran in New Delhi on Tuesday to convey India’s condolences on the loss.

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei presided over a funeral on Wednesday for the country’s late president, foreign minister, and others killed in the crash. Thousands of people attended the funeral procession of the late president and his companions.

Several world leaders attended the official funeral ceremony in Tehran.

The Iranian president, the country’s foreign minister, and several other officials were found dead on Monday, hours after their helicopter crashed in a foggy, mountainous region in the northwestern part of the country, Iran state media reported.

Raisi, 63, and his entourage were heading to Tabriz city after returning from a visit to a locality on the Azerbaijan-Iran border on Sunday. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar will fly to Iran on Wednesday to attend an official ceremony to pay condolences on the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in a helicopter crash, the Ministry of External Affairs said.

A one-day state mourning is being observed across India on Tuesday as a mark of respect for Mr Raisi.

“Vice-President of India Jagdeep Dhankhar will pay a visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran on May 22 to attend official ceremony to pay condolences on the tragic demise of President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and other Iranian officials in an unfortunate helicopter crash on May 19,” an MEA statement said on Tuesday.

President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have conveyed their condolences on the demise of Raisi. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited the embassy of Iran in Delhi on Tuesday to convey India’s condolences on the loss.

The Iranian president, the country’s foreign minister and several other officials were found dead on Monday, hours after their helicopter crashed in a foggy, mountainous region in the northwestern part of the country, Iran state media reported.

Mr Raisi, 63, and his entourage were heading to the city of Tabriz after returning from a visit to a locality on the Azerbaijan-Iran border on Sunday.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Laxmangarh (Rajasthan):

After Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot questioned Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar over his frequent visits to the poll-bound state, the latter said that it is not right to drag a person holding a constitutional post unnecessarily into politics.

In an apparent reply to the Rajasthan chief minister, Mr Dhankhar said that there must be respect for constitutional positions.

“Some people are saying why are you coming here again and again… I do not expect, people in authority to make statements in light of constitutional positions. This is not good for democracy. There must be respect for constitutional positions and all of us in togetherness, hand in hand, in collaboration and coordination with a consensual approach, have to serve the people at large…” the Vice President said while addressing the students and faculty members of Mody University of Science and Technology in Laxmangarh.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has lashed out at Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on several occasions over his frequent visits to the poll-bound state.

However, Mr Dhankhar further said, “It is our country, we all are servants of this country whatever be our position, right from the President down the line up to the chief minister. We must be very sensitive, we should not generate such a public perception that a person holding a constitutional post should be unnecessarily dragged into politics, it is not right.”

Mr Dhankhar also recited a poem written by him, “Khata kya ki humne, pata hi nahi! Aapatti kyo hai unhe hamare ghar aane ki, pata hi nahi! Ye kaisa manzar hai, samjh se pare hai, Sawaliya nishan kyo hai apne ghar aane me, Kya julm hai? Pata hi nahi!”

The poem refers to someone having a problem with him going to their home. 

Addressing a programme in Jaipur, Mr Gehlot had said in September, “The Vice President is doing up-down (between Delhi and Rajasthan). Whether it is the Governor or the Vice President, we respect them… but elections are here.”

“Politicians should come but please do not send the Vice President, it is a Constitutional post. We respect the President and the Vice President. Yesterday the Vice President came and visited five districts. Is there any logic? It is election season. If you come now it will send all kinds of messages which is not good for democracy,” he had said later. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Kota:

Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan on Friday said Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s objection to Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar’s “frequent” visits to Rajasthan reflects he is not interested in the state’s development.

Noting that Vice President Dhankhar is the “son of Rajasthan” and a farmer, Mr Muraleedharan said the visits by the President and Vice President will benefit any state and there is no politics in it.

“I am surprised why the chief minister here is objecting to such issue. It reflects that the chief minister is not interested in development and progress of the state,” Mr Muraleedharan told the media on the sidelines of inauguration of Rajasthan’s second and country’s 37th regional passport office in Kota.

Mr Gehlot should welcome the vice president warmly, instead of objecting to his frequent visits, he added.

The senior Congress leader had said in a rally on Thursday, “Yesterday, the Vice President came and visited five districts. What is the logic? Elections are to be held soon… if you come during this, it will have different meanings and messages, which will not be good for democracy”.

On the allegation of avoiding the Manipur violence issue, Mr Muraleedharan said no one in the party and in government avoided the issue and added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke in detail about the government’s policy and its efforts on the subject in the parliament and outside.

Home Minister Amit Shah himself visited Imphal and spoke to the people there, he further said.

Mr Muraleedharan also condemned leaders of the opposition INDIA bloc for their alleged silence on “disgraceful remarks” on Sanatan Dharma.

The opening of the new regional passport office would benefit people from around 15 districts including Kota, Bundi, Jhalawar, Baran, Swai Madhopur, Chittorgarh, Bhilwara, Udaipur, Pratapgarh, Dungerpur, Banswara, Rajsamand and newly formed district Shahapura, Ganjapur and Salumbar.

The Union minister said there were only 77 passport centres in the county in 2014, but now the number has gone up to 500 in nine years. The Narendra Modi-led government is committed to enabling every countryman to avail passport services easily, he added.

Kota MP and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla joined the inauguration ceremony virtually, while MP from Tonk-Sawai Madhopur Sukhbir Singh Jaunapuria, MLA Sandeep Sharma, Madan Dilawar, Kalpna Devi, Chandrakanta Meghwal and Ashok Dogra were present on the occasion with MoS Muraleedharan.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Thursday signed the women’s reservation bill as passed by Parliament before it is presented to President Droupadi Murmu for her assent.

The Constitution amendment bill was passed by the Lok Sabha with near unanimity and the Rajya Sabha with unanimity during a special session of Parliament earlier this month.

The bill, which seeks to give 33 per cent reservation to women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, will take some time before being implemented as the next census and the subsequent delimitation (redrawing Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies) exercise will ascertain the seats being earmarked for women candidates.

“Hon’ble Chairman, Rajya Sabha has signed the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-eighth Amendment) Bill, 2023 as passed by the Houses of Parliament, for being presented to Hon’ble President of India for her assent to the Bill under Article 111 of the Constitution of India,” the Vice President Secretariat said in a post on X.

It also shared a picture of Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal receiving the signed copy of the bill from Dhankhar.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge today complained to Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar that the Opposition doesn’t get enough chances to put forth their views on various subjects inside the house, and requested that the cameras inside the parliament, which live-telecast the proceedings, should focus equally on the opposition MPs when they are speaking. 

“We don’t get the chance outside. We do here, so please let us have it,” he said while addressing the Rajya Sabha on the first day of the special session of the Parliament on Monday.

What’s mentioned here on the record sends a message outside too, that the people’s issues are being discussed, he said, adding that the ‘constitutional work’ that the MPs do in the house should get encouragement from him and also from the government.

“You are our guardian. If there’s any injustice against us, you are the one who is supposed to protect us. We are so few in number, if all of them (ruling coalition NDA’s MPs) start attacking us then we will come crying to you,” he said in a light-hearted exchange with Mr Dhankhar, stressing his protection is needed.

The Congress president began his address with a Hindi poem taking a swipe at the Centre. 

“If you want to change something, then change the situation
What is accomplished by changing names like this?

If you want to give something, give employment to the youth
What is accomplished by making everyone unemployed?

Try expanding your heart a little
What is accomplished by killing people?

If you can’t do anything, leave your chair.
What is accomplished by scaring each other?

You are proud of your rule
What is accomplished by bullying people?” he read out from a paper.

बदलना है तो अब हालात बदलो
ऐसे नाम बदलने से क्या होता है?

देना है तो युवाओं को रोजगार दो
सबको बेरोजगार करके क्या होता है?

दिल को थोड़ा बड़ा करके देखो
लोगों को मारने से क्या होता है?

कुछ कर नहीं सकते तो कुर्सी छोड़ दो
बात-बात पर डराने से क्या होता है?

अपनी हुक्मरानी पर तुम्हें… pic.twitter.com/VT0rPCKWAp

— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) September 18, 2023

The strong foundation stones that support a structure are not visible to anyone, only the name on the wall is, Mr Kharge said in an apparent jibe at PM Modi, without naming him.

He also said that the government was focusing on weakening the “strong” Opposition through central agencies like CBI and ED. 

“Nehru ji believe that the absence of a strong Opposition means that there are significant drawbacks in the system. If there is no strong Opposition, it is not right. Now, that there is a strong Opposition, focus is on weakening it through ED, CBI…Take them (into their own party), put them in a washing machine and when they come out all clean – make them permanent (in one’s own party). You can see what is happening today. PM comes to the Parliament rarely and when he does he leaves after making it an event,” Mr Kharge said.

Remembering Jawaharlal Nehru and his contribution to nation-building, the Congress Chief said, “Nehru ji led India during difficult times. He was in jail for 14 years for the independence of India. Nothing new will happen if we shift to a new parliament…’.

Mr Kharge also alleged that PM Modi has given statements just twice in the Lok Sabha, and compared the figure with former Prime Ministers Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh.

“Atal Bihari Vajpayee gave statement 21 times, Manmohan Singh gave 30 times during their tenure,” Mr Kharge said. “However, apart from few ‘custormary comments’, PM Modi gave his statement only twice,” he added.