Farcical Exercise! Rajya Sabha Chair Calls for Rule 267 Introspection

New Delhi- The Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, has called for introspection among the members of the Parliament for the frequent use of Rule 267. He said that the Rule is being used as an "indiscriminate resort" by a few.

In a statement issued by the Rajya Sabha secretariat, Dhankhar has said that he rejected five notices filed under the Rule 267. He expressed concern over the "liberal application" of the rule. He said that the rule was last invoked in 2016.

The Chairman further said that in the last 36 years, the Rule 267 has been allowed only on six occasions. In spite of this, he said that he gets the notices for invoking the rule in every sitting of the session. He urged the members and the floor leaders to "seriously reflect and introspect" on the practice.

The Rule 267 is part of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Council of States. It allows the members to move for the suspension of the rules to discuss urgent matters. The use of the Rule 267 has become a point of contention between the two major political parties of the country. The Opposition is accusing the government of trying to use the Rule 267 as an equivalent to the adjournment motion in Lok Sabha.